The Joplin Police Department is pleased to announce a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce. JACC will be the first certified business with the Joplin Police Department’s Crime Free Business program. The Chamber’s management, employees, and buildings went through a strenuous evaluation process to achieve this status. The Joplin Police Department is currently working with numerous businesses and hopes to have other certified Crime Free Business’s soon.

The Crime Free Business program is a state-of-the-art crime prevention program designed to reduce crime and the threat of crime in and around businesses. The Crime Free program was successfully developed at the Mesa Arizona Police Department in 1992.
The program consists of two phases that must be completed under the supervision of the Joplin Police Department’s Crime Free Business Officers.
The overall goals of the program are to:
Establish better communication with business owners and managers.
Establish a cohesive working relationship with businesses.
Instruct and assist management with training of employees on topics like robbery prevention, anger de-escalation, and observation.
Identify aspects of a business of which a criminal could take advantage.
Aid management in identifying and documenting problems.
Stress the importance of good security and crime prevention measures.
Reduce calls for service for the police department.
Improve the layout and functions of the business to improve overall quality of life for both employees and customers.

The media is invited to attend the ceremony on Monday, November 18th, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. The event will be held at the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, which is located at 320 E 4th St. Officers will be available to give an interview about the Crime Free Business program. Media will also have an opportunity to speak with JACC employees about the program.

For further information contact Ofc. Daniel Rogers at 417-623-3131 ext. 649, or Cpl. Brian Henderson at 417-627-8880.