Margolis, Healy & Associates (MH&A), of Richmond, a leading professional services firm specializing in higher education safety and security, today announced that it has received a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) 2010 Competitive Grant for Enhancing Law Enforcement and Crime Prevention. BJA received 42 applications and made six awards for a total of $3,194,243 in funding.
The BJA Grant Award of $399,800 will provide MH&A with funding to implement a project entitled, "Best Practices for Campus Crime Prevention: Developing Evidence Based Modern Crime Prevention Strategies for Institutions of Higher Education."
"We will use an inclusive, research-focused strategy to identify, evaluate, refine and replicate best and promising practices in modern evidence-based and age-appropriate crime prevention programming at institutions of higher education," said Dr. Gary J. Margolis, MH&A managing partner.
According to Dr. Margolis and MH&A managing partner, Steven J. Healy, a preliminary review of available literature and general observations of campus safety agencies and crime prevention programs, reveals that institutions have implemented crime prevention strategies based on thirty-year old efforts originating from K-12 school and community settings, and with no consideration for modern communication and social interconnectedness; communication and developmental needs of the current generation of student; or the higher education settings.
"Effectiveness of these older programs is questionable at best, and at worst, institutions are missing opportunities to affirmatively impact student safety, both on and off campus," Healy said.
The deliverables of the project include:
Producing crime prevention program templates for crimes identified through the grant, and making them available to institutions across the country at no cost. The templates will be disseminated through national education associations and a website developed and hosted by MH&A;
Development of a website that will serve as a dissemination point for the crime prevention program templates and a social networking resource for institutions seeking further information and assistance on modern crime prevention strategies;
Creation of a web-based Technical Assistance Center, hosted by MH&A. The Technical Assistance Center will present findings at national or regional meetings of higher education associations and via Web-based video and teleconferencing services.
The purpose of the BJA grant program is to improve the capacity of state and local justice systems through training and technical assistance targeted to address state and local needs. The following agencies received funding under this BJA grant program:
Grantee
State
Award Amount
National Council on Crime and Delinquency
VA
$400,000
The Johns Hopkins University
MD
$376,621
Margolis, Healy & Associates
VT
$399,800
Institute for Intergovernmental Research
FL
$800,000
National District Attorneys Association
VA
$599,966
International Association of Police Chiefs
VA
$767,656
About Margolis, Healy and Associates, LLC:
Margolis, Healy and Associates, LLC, is a professional services firm specializing in higher education safety and security. With more than 15 years each of providing consulting services to clients in the education, public and private sectors, Dr. Gary J. Margolis and Mr. Steven J. Healy have quickly positioned MH&A as a leading professional services firm for safety and security needs at universities and colleges. MH&A provides a range of services to help keep campuses safe and secure, prepare for natural or man-made disasters and violent incidents, or respond to crises. The firm's services include:
Campus Safety & Security Program Assessments
Emergency Preparedness & Crisis Response Systems and Exercises
Public Safety Management Studies
Expert Witness & Litigation Consultation
Implementation of Lethal & Less-than-Lethal Force Options
Special Event Security Planning & Management
Executive Search Support
Mass Notification System Selection & Implementation
Clery Act Compliance Assessment & Training
Crisis Support Services
Source: MH&A, please www.margolis-healy.com