COLLEGE BOUND SAFE AND SOUND TRAVELS TO ILLINOIS HIGH SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES TO PRESENT ON SEXUAL ASSAULT
HIGHLAND PARK, IL (SEPTEMBER 2014) - 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. After a phenomenal first class at the Recreation Center of Highland Park in July, College Bound Safe & Sound is opening their doors to something bigger. The presentation is now traveling to local Illinois high schools and colleges to reach a larger audience and keep young adults informed.
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 Chicago police officers, Jack Shilney and Josh Weitzman, to launch "College Bound Safe & Sound".
"Every year, thousands of college students become victims of crimes," explains Shilney, who joined the Chicago Police Department in 1988 and met Josh Weitzman 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 to 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 or call 773-715-9358 for more information.