Scouting these days is becoming as much community-oriented as it is skill-related. So is fighting crime.
For that reason, Utah County Sheriff David Bateman says it makes sense to put the two together."It just has some tremendous potential," Bateman said.
Active in Boy Scouts for many years, Bateman pushed for and was pivotal in getting the Boy Scouts of America to recently approve a new merit badge in crime prevention. He believes there's nothing more community-oriented or dependent on community involvement than fighting crime.
"A crime prevention merit badge provides opportunities for young people to participate in community and neighborhood activities and see a return for their efforts," Bateman said.
The sheriff and Lt. Ron Fernstedt began the drive for the crime prevention merit badge about three years ago. With endorsements from the International Association of Police Chiefs and National Sheriff's Association, they drafted a preliminary manual for the badge requirements.
They then enlisted the help of Tulsa County (Okla.) Sheriff Stanley Glanz, chairman of the National Sheriff's Association Crime Prevention Committee. He is also a commissioner for the Boy Scout Council of Northeastern Oklahoma.
"He grabbed hold and helped us run with it," Bateman said.
Glanz took the proposal to national Boy Scout representatives, where he got approval of the preliminary manual last fall. For the past year, Glanz and Utah County officials have been working on the final manual, which was adopted this summer.
"What we wanted to accomplish is to get the kids involved with law enforcement," Glanz said. "It teaches the kids what they can do to make themselves safe, and it reduces fear."
The Utah National Parks Council, the Boy Scouts of America regional council for all of central and southern Utah, will emphasize the new merit badge during a crime prevention drive in October. The council has declared October "Crime Prevention Month."
Scout Executive Tom Powell said the new merit badge is significant because of increased crime and new gang influences coming to Utah. Scouts need to be aware of crime trends.
"The Boy Scouts would certainly like to be an influence of good," Powell said. "We want to be right at the forefront to help our youth understand the nature of what can be done to prevent crime."
Badge seekers must compile a scrapbook of articles about crime prevention, conduct a home security survey and discuss topics such as drug abuse, gang violence and neighborhood watch programs. Bateman says Scouts working on the badge would become community active, become aware of gang and drug problems and interact with police.
"These just all seem to be good things to me," he said.