On behalf of the Florida Regional Community Policing Institute at St. Petersburg College and the Suncoast Crime Prevention Association, I am extending this invitation for members of your department to join us at the 2008 Sunshine State Crime Prevention Training Conference (SSCPC) in St. Petersburg, Florida, May 7 – 9, 2008.

This three-day training conference is the perfect opportunity to enhance crime prevention skills, develop resources and expand knowledge through an intensive schedule of break-out courses, specialized training, and networking opportunities.

This comprehensive conference is designed to address community issues ranging from physical security to violence prevention. The breakout sessions will be tailored to the needs of today’s crime prevention and community policing practitioners, and will place great emphasis on programmatic initiatives giving the practitioners the knowledge, tools and resources to do their jobs successfully.

Crime Prevention means working in partnership, rather than in isolation, and working with concerned citizens to address ways to prevent crime and drug abuse which can often lead to a reduction in crime. It means communities and individual citizens learning how to protect themselves and developing methods for working together to keep their neighborhoods crime and drug free. It means law enforcement working with communities, businesses, and service organizations to develop action plans based on information about crime and other problems.

For that reason, this year’s conference is not only open to law enforcement but to members of private industry and members from our communities who are interested in enhancing their knowledge in the ways to be more safe and secure.

This training opportunity is perfect for crime prevention officers and staff, community police officers, school resource officers, volunteers, condominium and apartment managers and board members, crime watch participants, and any other member of the community who is interested in learning more about crime prevention and the issues that face our communities every day.

We look forward to seeing you in St. Petersburg in May 2008.