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Community Corner

College Bound? Make Sure Your Kid is Safe & Sound

HIGHLAND PARK, IL (July
10, 2014) -
The
statistics are truly alarming. In a study released earlier this month, college
sex crimes are up 51%, with over 3,300 forcible sex offenses reported on college
campuses throughout the country. In 2010, when the last full data was compiled,
close to 93,000 crimes were reported to college and university campus police. Approximately
97% of these offenses were considered “property crimes,” while 3% were of a
violent nature, including aggravated assaults, robberies, rapes, and even
murder. Sadly, the numbers have continued to rise.         



 



It
is these statistics, and listening to parents voice their concerns about how to
keep their children safe while away at school, that prompted local police
officers, Jack Shilney and Josh Weitzman, to launch “College Bound Safe &
Sound
”.  The first in an ongoing series of classes
will be held Thursday, July 10th from 7-9pm at the Recreation Center
of Highland Park (1207 Park Avenue West). The cost is $75 per person.

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Geared
toward parents and their college bound students, College Bound Safe & Sound
addresses personal safety, dorm safety, situational awareness, drugs, alcohol,
sexual assault (1 in 5 women has been sexually assaulted while in college),
date rape (80% of offenders are known to their victims), and how to respond to
an active shooter situation.

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“Every
year, thousands of college students become victims of crimes,” explains
Shilney, who joined the Chicago Police Department in 1988 and met Josh Weitzman
(who grew up in Deerfield) in 2000 when they became partners in the narcotics
unit of the force. The highly trained duo has over 45 years of law enforcement
experience, including work as undercover officers and in gang investigation
units.   



 



“College
campuses are thought to be safe places, and for the most part, they are,” says
Shilney. “Unfortunately young people, especially those going away to college
for the first time, are a bit naïve. They need be aware of their surroundings
and they must learn how to protect themselves if a dangerous situation arises.
This is what the College Bound Safe & Sound course is all about … the statistics
speak for themselves.”



 



“The
sad truth is that many campus crimes go unreported, so industry experts believe
that the number of offenses is even higher than what’s been documented,” adds
Weitzman. “Our class gives these kids, and their parents, straight talk. We’re
not sugar coating anything,” he says. “As police officers we’ve seen a lot, and
we know the mindsets of the perpetrators. We are giving our students the tools
and the information they need to avoid becoming a statistic. We teach them how
to identify potential threats and dangerous situations, and how to respond
safely.”  



 



“Here’s
the bottom line,” says Shilney. “These young adults need to be reminded to think
about their surroundings when they go away to college. They need to learn
quickly how to become pro-active and in charge of their own personal safety. Our
goal is to empower them so they are less vulnerable to violent crimes that are
often directed toward young, inexperienced and often times, distracted, college
students. And, that’s exactly what our class is doing.”



 



College
Bound Safe & Sound is a division of Chicago’s Finest Tactics and CCL,
founded by Shilney and Weitzman in 2013.  Visit www.collegeboundsafeandsound.com to register for the
July 10th class. Space is limited and advanced registration is
required. For more information, please call 773-715-9358.

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