Crime Prevention

A MESSAGE FROM SHERIFF WAYNE COATS

Fellow Citizens of Harnett County,

Our goal at the Harnett County Sheriff's Office is to be recognized by the people we serve as a professional organization dedicated to customer service and committed to Harnett County being a safe and secure place for our families.

The main objective of Crime Prevention is to reduce the opportunity for crime, thereby reducing the likelihood that crime will occur. One can remove the desire to commit a crime by education. One can remove the ability to commit a crime by incarcerating, and one can remove the opportunity to commit a crime by target-hardening (high visibility of uniform patrol officer Community Watch Programs). Effective Crime Prevention incorporates all of these things. The combined efforts of law enforcement and the community it serves are the means to accomplish this goal.

I have created a full time Crime Prevention Specialist position to assist communities with organizing Community Watch programs and to place emphasis on the need for citizen involvement for a comprehensive crime prevention effort for Harnett County.

Sincerely yours, Sheriff Wayne Coats

It is the goal of the Harnett County Sheriff's Office to provide it's communities with crime prevention knowledge and materials that will enable each willing citizen to be an active participant in preventing crime in Harnett County. The Harnett County Sheriff's Office offers programs such as Neighborhood Watch which will heighten each citizen's ability to observe and report suspicious or criminal activities.

For more information or any questions concerning crime prevention contact Cpl. Mandy Leon at 910-893-0124 mleon@harnett.org. Harnett County Sheriff's Office, Crime Prevention, 175 Bain St. , P.O. Box 399, Lillington, N.C. 27546.