The Prevention Agency:
A Public Safety Model for High Crime Communities in the 21st Century

The Prevention Agency, (ISBN – 0-9759556-0-8, $29.95) by K.C. Poulin, CEO, Critical Intervention Services, Tampa, Fla., and Charles P. Nemeth JD, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Law & Public Policy, Graduate Criminal Justice and Legal Studies and Program Development, at California University of Pa.’s Pittsburgh Center, was published this month, November 2004. The work, the second collaboration between Poulin and Nemeth, proposes creating innovative approaches to crime control, reducing the level of victimization, and in turn, elevating the quality of life within high crime communities. Using a partnership between private, public and non-profit sectors and resources, the authors propose a new organization whose aim is to coordinate resources and public safety initiatives to transform the high crime community.

The Prevention Agency posits a new world order of policing distressed communities. Using private sector justice professionals, in a pre-eminent and even dominant position as compared to the public law enforcement superstructure, shakes up the status quo. The text offers up this innovative organization as an alternative for communities and their beleaguered residents. The Prevention Agency, an uncanny blend of private, entrepreneurial, community and public resources, delivers not only change in how things are done, but also results which communities under siege can only presently dream of.

From the Back Cover

Creating innovative approaches to crime control, reducing the level of victimization, and elevating the quality of life within high crime communities are the chief aims of this monograph. It is self evident that public safety measures and public law enforcement tactics have only partially succeeded in the restoration of peace and tranquility in the high crime community. It is equally apparent that the vacuum and disparity in the quality of life in the high crime community, as opposed to more affluent and safer sectors, continues to accelerate. The chasm widens and the high crime community, suffering from much pathology, cries for assistance. High crime communities have special needs that traditional law enforcement only satisfy in part. The policing focus must shift – the status quo can no longer apply. Indeed, the revolution may already be underway. Trends like “privatization,” “civilianization” and “community” finally hold legislative attention.

In high crime communities, the approach needs to be not only radical, but revolutionary. From every angle the formula must change, whether it be the effective coordination of resources, the redefinition of public safety, the transformation of policing goals and objectives, and the implementation of operational methodologies. Everything must be reevaluated.