Happy 30th Birthday, McGruff!

The following post appears courtesy of Laurie O. Robinson, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs. Happy 30th Birthday, McGruff! While there are various ways to approach crime prevention, McGruff the Crime Dog is world famous for his advice on how to stop crime before it happens. McGruff’s famous catchphrase: “Take a Bite out of Crime,” has turned into one of the most recognizable ad campaigns in America. Throughout the past 30 years, McGruff taught people across the country how they can help prevent crime. Discussing crime prevention with a mixed audience of children and adults may be a challenge. Unless, of course, you have a spokesperson – er, spokesdog - as appealing as McGruff. The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), has partnered with the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and McGruff to teach children about crime prevention. McGruff has made thousands of appearances in newspapers and on the radio, television, and Internet to encourage everyone to take common-sense steps to reduce crime. OJP and NCPC have had a long and productive history of working together to fight crime in America’s communities. They have joined together to address many new challenges over the years, including juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, internet safety and identity theft. As we celebrate McGruff’s birthday, and wish him many more productive years, we join with Attorney General Eric Holder in recognizing the important role of evidence-based crime research and policies in preventing crime. We look forward to continuing our work with McGruff and our other partners to ensure that we are smart about how we “Take a Bite out of Crime.”