Eliminating Crime, by Design
An Alexandria Police Officer Works to Identify and Eliminate Environmental Factors That Attract Miscreants

By Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 4, 2009

Ever walked through a dark parking lot at night and gotten a creepy feeling? Or heard about a break-in in your neighborhood and thought your home might be vulnerable?

Alexandria police officer Cherlette Young sees these things all the time, and it's her job to fix them.

Young is part of a growing group of police officers who specialize in identifying environmental factors that attract crime.

She'll tell you that the outside of your home is not bright enough, then she'll tell you what kind of glass your lampposts should have (clear, not frosted). She'll tell you to trim your shrubs and get "bump-proof" locks on your door.

"We don't like shrubbery to be higher than two-and-a-half or three feet. We don't want it to provide hiding places," Young said. "We don't like it to cover windows. If it's not well kept, people will think it's a good place to commit crime."

Young spends her days analyzing homes and businesses in the city, often telling owners things they don't want to hear.

Bump-proof locks cost money to install, but they prevent burglars from using a universal key to open a lock. About 62 percent of burglars do not leave signs of forced entry, police say.

Residents and business owners sometimes call the police department to request Young's services, and beat officers take her to patrol areas hit by crime waves.

Young also reviews blueprints before buildings are built.

"I tell people, 'Don't plant this tree next to this light pole. Or, 'Turn this alcove around, because somebody could get raped or robbed there,' " she said.

Young is the department's one-woman CPTED (pronounced sep-ted) unit, which means she has been trained in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. She used to have another police department employee working with her, but that position was eliminated because of budget cuts.

One of the theories of CPTED is that run-down properties attract people who are up to no good.

For businesses, she recommends "light uniformity" so that someone looking across the property would not need to adjust his eyes from one point to another.

She said she also likes lampposts that have bulbs at the top of the fixtures, because other styles shine light up into the air and do not illuminate the ground. And she makes sure to tell people to clean their light fixtures regularly so dirt doesn't dim them.

Young is doing an assessment of City Hall, going from the rooftop to the basement and every office in between to figure out whether there are any risks or threats in the building.

One example, she said, is figuring out whether employees need protection if they work in an agency that often deals with angry residents. A barrier could be one solution, she said. Other offices might need electronic pass codes.

When she assesses a home, Young makes sure that windows have appropriate locks -- 23 percent of burglars get into homes through windows, and about 9 percent get in through a garage, police said.

Young offers safety workshops for groups such as real estate agents, and she puts her knowledge to use in her personal life. She rarely carries a purse, she said, because they're prone to getting snatched. She usually wears pants with pockets so she can put valuables there.

"If you don't need your passport, it shouldn't be on your person," she said.

"If you don't need your checkbook, it shouldn't be on your person." She suggests carrying a single check if needed, rather than the book.

"It's the little tidbits you give people," she said. "A lot of times they say, 'I never thought of that.' "