Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association and Fight Crime: Invest in Kids – A Twenty Year Partnership

By: Bruce R. Clash

Pennsylvania law enforcement leaders have a long history of supporting prevention initiatives that reduce crime and violence.

For two decades, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids is grateful to have partnered with the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association to advocate for public investments in research-based programs that help get children off to a strong start in life and are proven to help break the generational cycles of poverty, low educational attainment and criminal involvement.

Bruce Clash has been the Pennsylvania State Director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids since January 2001. The statewide organization is based in Harrisburg. He can be reached at (o) 717-303-5200 or at bclash@fightcrime.org. Visit online at www. strongnation.org/fightcrime

Bruce Clash Fight Crime: Invest in Kids is a national, bipartisan, anti-crime organization with a membership of more than 5,000 police chiefs, district attorneys, sheriffs and other law enforcement leaders nationwide — including over 140 Pennsylvania police chiefs and two-thirds of Pennsylvania’s district attorneys and sheriffs. We are especially grateful to PCPA Executive Director Scott

Partnership Invitation

Are you a police chief who is not yet a member of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids? It would be a privilege to have you as our crime prevention partner. Membership is free (we are philanthropically funded) and does not carry any time commitment. The extent of your involvement and whether you respond to our occasional action alerts, media event or other opportunities is totally up to you. Please email bclash@fightcrime.org for more information and a membership invitation packet.

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids members Chief Albert Walker (Hanover Twp.—next to podium), Chief James Balavage (Jackson Twp.), and Chief Royce Engler (Wright Twp.—far right) join Bruce Clash and PA Corrections Secretary John Wetzel (speaking) at SCI Dallas in Luzerne County in 2018 to underscore the importance of highquality pre-k for at-risk kids to help put them on paths to success and keep them out of the criminal justice system.

Bohn, who is our longest-tenured Pennsylvania member having joined Fight Crime: Invest in Kids as West Chester Borough Police Chief in June 2000! As law enforcement leaders, you are tough on crime, determined to see criminals arrested and justice served. But you also know that our state and nation need to be smart on crime by investing in evidence-based programs that help at-risk kids get the right start so they never become criminals in the first place. These include early childhood programs like highquality pre-kindergarten and child care that helps prepare at-risk kids for school success and graduation; evidence-based voluntary home visiting that prevents child abuse and neglect, helps parents engage constructively with their children and put families on paths to selfsufficiency; and programs that help troubled kids get back on track.

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids works to help policy makers; the media and the public understand through compelling scientific evidence and your front-line experience that strategic investments in at-risk children and families are critical to our efforts to keep our communities safe, steer at-risk kids toward productive lives and ultimately save taxpayer dollars. We do this work by partnering with our members in conducting legislator meetings, press conferences, earned media, report releases, community roundtable events and other engagement with policymakers and the media. Thank you PCPA and all our law enforcement leader members for your deeply-valued partnership!