Public Service Articles in the pursuit of
Recreational Boating Safety
Only you can help
Advertising themes tied to programs that make a difference
By Wayne Spivak
National Press Corps
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
In 1944, the Forest Service initiated a new advertising campaign, aimed at the public to help them stem the ever increasing tide of forest fires. Based on a small bear cub that was saved by smoke jumpers (firefighters) during one particular fire; the Smokey the Bear campaign was born.
In 1949 the slogan for the Forest Service became “Remember - Only you can prevent Forest Fires”.
This program targeted the public, and its awareness quotient, in both stopping and reporting behavior that could lead to a forest fire, and its devastation to the forest, its animal population (poor little Smokey, the bear) and to the surrounding communities.
In 1979 the McGruff the Crime Dog®, and his "Take A Bite Out Of Crime®" slogan began their permeation into the American lexicon. Crime during the turbulent 70’s was upward spiraling, and the National Citizens’ Crime Prevention Program was started to combat this national problem. The program again asked the public to become partners for the greater good.
By prompting the public to act as the eyes and ears of their local police department, “Take A Bite Out of Crime” not only educated people in observation, but told them how to make themselves safer, with home safety tips. The image of a dog biting the criminal struck a chord in our pet-loving society.
Neighborhood Watch Program
This program, or at least its modern day version, started in 1972. During that year, the National Sheriff’s Association sought to take the program and make it a national initiative. They succeeded, and now almost every community has a Neighborhood Watch program.
The Neighborhood Watch Program utilizes the best assets that a community has, the residents themselves, who know what is normal and what is not. Community residents know when something is out of the ordinary. As a member of a Neighborhood Watch Program, all you need to do is call your local law enforcement agency.
But this is a simplistic overview of the program. It goes deeper, into both neighbor helping neighbor and the ability of local law enforcement to implement many different types of crime prevention strategies.
The Neighborhood Watch Program has partnered with all the major law enforcement organizations as well as the Citzen Corps and the Freedom Corps. Utilizing the concept of neighbor helping neighbor, each of these organizations depend on volunteers to assist themselves, their neighbors, and the police.
The Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary are establishing a partnership with Citizen Corps
To this end, the Coast Guard has created the Waterway Watch program. This program, which uses the same basic concept as the Neighborhood Watch program, is geared toward our neighbors who live on and near, or who work on or near our waterways.
We as a nation have more coastal borders than land borders, and will never have enough law enforcement personnel to protect every last mile. But, we have millions of neighbor’s who live and work near these coastal communities, and navigable bays and rivers who know what is normal and what is not.
According to Larry Holdridge, (Division Chief for Strategic Planning in the M Department and the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s point person on partnering with the President's Citizen Corps program) the purpose of the partnership is “…to gain support, advertising, and funding for the Auxiliary through the Citizen Corps.”
Neighborhood Watch is one of the four pillar programs of Citizen Corps, and they have adopted Waterway Watch as the fifth pillar program in the Florida Citizen Corps. So the "Bumper sticker" for Waterway Watch is that it is "Neighborhood Watch on the Waterfront."
Holdridge is looking to the other 49 States and political sub-divisions of the Citizen Corps to adopt Waterway Watch as their fifth pillar. He and his son have also produced a video that will both explain why we have the program and how the program works. It can be viewed on the web at: http://cgauxed.org/waterway/waterwaywatch.asx or you can request a copy of the video from your local Auxiliary Flotilla.
Why Waterway Watch, Neighborhood Watch?
The answer to this question is simple, because it works!
"I estimate that around 80% of all successful law enforcement convictions involve a tip that was received from a private citizen," Sheriff Ken Jenne, Broward County, Florida Sheriff. Sheriff Jenne runs the nation's largest nationally accredited sheriff's office.
Joining the Waterway Watch or Neighborhood Watch can be as easy as contacting your local law enforcement agency or Auxiliary Flotilla. Even simpler yet, when your neighborhood or near the Waterway, keep a sharp lookout for the out of the ordinary.
You don’t need to join an organization (though volunteering your time, in the Neighborhood Watch or with the USCG Auxiliary is a great way of giving back to your community and neighborhood), you just need to keep your antennae tuned to things that are different.
LOOK FOR AND REPORT:
- Suspicious waterfront loitering
- Forcible access
- Persons photographing, taping or sketching
- Boaters seeming to be forcibly controlled
- Liquids being poured into reservoirs or lakes
- Apparently dangerous loads and/or cargoes
- Items that appear to be weapons or explosives
- Boats loitering under bridges or by locks or dams
- Diving operations near any critical infrastructure
- Boats or divers in naval protection zones
- Note appearance, size, coloring of individuals
- Note type of boat, car, registration, etc.
- If diving is involved, note color of equipment
If you see anything of this nature, either call your local police department or call the Coast Guard at: 1-877-24-WATCH (1-877-249-2824).
For more information about the USCG or USCG Auxiliary, contact your local Coast Guard Station, or find us on the web at www.uscg.mil (USCG) or www.cgaux.org (Auxiliary).
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