SEELEY LAKE – Missoula County Sheriff’s Office Crime Prevention Coordinator Rob Scheben introduced himself at the Seeley Lake Community Council meeting, March 11. The crime prevention coordinator is a new position with the Sheriff’s Office. Scheben hopes to share his knowledge and expertise in regards to crime prevention with residents and business owners in Missoula County through small and large group presentations.
While Scheben has lived in Montana for 29 years, he grew up on the outskirts of New York City. He remembers hearing people screaming and yelling and police sirens going off all night.
“Crime prevention has been an interest to me my entire life,” said Scheben. “It is about the fear of crime. If you don’t feel safe where you live, then there is a problem.”
Scheben worked in crime prevention and gave speaker programs for 10 of his 19-year career with the Missoula City Police Department before retiring. Topics included shoplifting for business owners, how to keep homes safe, personal safety, scams, active shooter training and graffiti removal. One of the things he focused on was crime prevention through environmental design. It is a concept that puts law enforcement strategies to keep people safe within the built environment such as creating a escape plan for employees based on the building plan of the workplace.
Scheben said Missoula County Sheriff T.J. McDermott created the position because he felt that it was important to have someone with the Sheriff’s Office to address crime prevention. Scheben also feels that the public has questions about the criminal justice system and information is difficult to get.
“Something as simple as why do we call 9-1-1? How does the process work from that point on? Why is it important to give the information to 9-1-1 that basically describes reasonable suspicion to the 9-1-1 operator? Then that starts, in a sense, the criminal justice system,” said Scheben. “I think people have a lot of questions about how to keep [themselves safe]. Education is very important no matter what field you are in and I think people appreciate it. It keeps them in the loop of what is going on and keeps them safe.”
For more information or to arrange a presentation contact Scheben at 406-531-8926 or email rscheben@missoulacounty.us. He also recommends checking out the National Crime Prevention Council website ncpc.org for a lot of great information about current crime issues and how to keep yourself and others safe.
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