BKONGARD.RVW   981126

"On Guard", Laura E. Quarantiello, 1994, 0-936653-50-7, U$17.95
%A   Laura E. Quarantiello
%C   P.O. Box 493, Lake Geneva, WI   53147
%D   1994
%G   0-936653-50-7
%I   Tiare Publications/Limelight Books
%O   U$17.95 +1-414-248-4845 +1-800-420-0579
%P   128 p.
%T   "On Guard: How You Can Win the War Against the Bad Guys"

This text is aimed at helping ordinary citizens reduce their risk of
becoming criminal targets.  At the same time, there is a very strong
emphasis on the creation of community patrol organizations.

Part one of the book is a series of primers on crime prevention in
various areas.  Topics covered are residential security, personal
safety, firearms, arson, auto theft, drugs, gangs, child abuse, child
safety, and fraud.  Part two deals with citizen patrols, such as
Neighborhood Watch.  It talks about why cops can't do it all, the case
for citizen involvement, citizen patrol, neighborhood observation,
mobile patrol, special observation, and confrontation.

While there is much useful information, the choice of content to
include or leave out is rather odd.  Some background data is helpful,
but a great deal of the text is of interest only to specialists, or
those with an almost paranoid level of interest in personal safety. 
Some sections, such as the one on arson, have no steps that could be
taken to reduce risk at all.  Other sections seem to be very
geographically limited.

On balance, this would probably make a good guide for those interested
in increasing safety for themselves, and particularly for their
communities and neighborhoods.  However, most police departments would
probably have the same type of material, freely available, and
possibly better prepared.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 1998   BKONGARD.RVW   981126