Crime prevention is about keeping yourself, your family, and your community safe. This badge helps you understand why laws exist, how crimes are reported, and how people work together to prevent them. You'll learn practical ways to stay safe at home and online.
Why it's worth it
Crime prevention isn't about being afraid. It's about knowing how to keep yourself, your family, and your neighbors safe, and knowing exactly what to do and who to tell when something is wrong. You'll see how police, courts, schools, and ordinary neighbors work together, learn to spot online scams before they cost anyone money, and practice standing up to bullying and pressure in ways that actually work.
Start this week
- Walk through your home with a parent and notice the locks, outdoor lights, and windows. Jot down anything that seems easy to improve.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Crime Prevention counselor, and contact them with a parent copied.
- Find your police or sheriff's department website and look for its community programs page.
- Talk with a parent about which trusted adults you'd go to if something felt wrong. Write down at least three.
Requirements · 11
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
- Requirement 1
Laws and society
Tips for this section: Talk with a parent about why we have laws and what might lead people to break them.
Example for this section: Pick a law you notice every day, like the speed limit near your school, and explain who it protects. Then talk about the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony, and why things like poverty or lack of support can raise crime risk.
- Requirement 1a
Talk with your counselor about why societies have criminal laws
- Requirement 1b
Talk with your counselor about kinds of crime, including environmental crime, white-collar crime, property crime, and crimes against people
- Requirement 1c
Talk with your counselor about the reasons people commit crimes
- Requirement 1d
Talk with your counselor about why everyone should obey the law even when nobody is looking
- Requirement 1e
Talk with your counselor about what crime prevention means
- Requirement 2
Groups that help prevent crime
Tips for this section: Look into how police, neighborhood watch groups, and schools work to prevent crime.
- Requirement 2a
Research how ordinary citizens, young people included, help prevent crime, and share what you find with your counselor
- Requirement 2b
Research how schools help prevent crime, and share what you find with your counselor
- Requirement 2c
Research how neighborhood, social, and civic groups (youth groups included) help prevent crime, and share what you find with your counselor
- Requirement 2d
Research how private security helps prevent crime, and share what you find with your counselor
- Requirement 2e
Research how law enforcement agencies help prevent crime, and share what you find with your counselor
- Requirement 2f
Research how the courts help prevent crime, and share what you find with your counselor
- Requirement 2g
Research how corrections and rehabilitation programs help prevent crime, and share what you find with your counselor
- Requirement 3
Crime in your community, state, and nation
Tips for this section: Check local news or your police department's website for crime trends. Learn how a case moves through the courts.
Example for this section: Over a few weeks, follow local news or your police department's posts and keep a list: car break-ins, vandalism, fraud. Then trace how one case might move from an arrest to a court date to a decision.
- Requirement 3a
With a parent's or guardian's permission and your counselor's approval, look up local, state, or national news stories about three crimes, each a different type, and find out how often those crimes happen in your state or the country
- Requirement 3b
Take notes on which police agencies and courts worked toward justice for the victims and the accused, why you think each crime happened, and what might prevent similar ones; go over your research with your counselor
- Requirement 4
Home and neighborhood crime prevention
Tips for this section: Walk around your home with a parent and check locks, lights, and windows. Make a list of improvements.
Example for this section: A home survey checklist might include: Do all doors have deadbolts? Are porch lights working? Are bushes trimmed so windows are visible? Are bikes locked? Share three fixes with your family and help with one.
- Requirement 4a
Community life and design
- Requirement 4a1
Talk with your counselor about how being involved with families, churches, sports teams, and clubs helps keep crime down
- Requirement 4a2
Talk with your counselor about how the way parks, streets, stores, public buildings, neighborhoods, and houses are designed can prevent crime
- Requirement 4b
Under adult supervision and following youth protection guidelines, do a security survey of a home, neighborhood, park, or camp building, using the checklist in the Crime Prevention pamphlet or one your counselor approves
- Requirement 4c
Using your 4b survey and the EDGE method, create a lesson teaching a family or Scouts ways to guard themselves against crime; go over your teaching plan with your counselor, then teach it to your family or to Scouts
- Requirement 5
Retail crime prevention
Tips for this section: Ask a store manager how they prevent shoplifting and how it affects prices.
- Requirement 5a
Research how shoplifting, theft by employees (called shrinkage), and loss prevention affect a store's money, customer service, and reputation, and review it with your counselor
- Requirement 5b
Research the methods stores use to stop shoplifting and review them with your counselor
- Requirement 6
Reporting crime
Tips for this section: Talk with a parent about how to report a crime or abuse and which trusted adults you can go to.
Example for this section: Practice a 911 call with a parent: your address, what happened, who's hurt, and staying on the line. Also name a trusted adult you could tell if someone, even someone you know, makes you feel unsafe.
- Requirement 6a
Talk with your counselor about when and how to report a crime, including one that's about to happen
- Requirement 6b
Talk with your counselor about warning signs of domestic violence and child abuse and how to report such situations
- Requirement 6c
Talk with your counselor about how to use the three R's of personal safety and protection
- Requirement 6d
Talk with your counselor about how reporting crimes helps police get resources to crime victims
- Requirement 7
Peers and crime
Tips for this section: Think about ways to handle peer pressure and stand up to bullying. Practice what you might say.
Example for this section: Role-play with a friend: someone pressures you to post a mean comment about a classmate. Practice a short answer like "Nah, that's not funny," walking away, and telling an adult if it keeps happening.
- Requirement 7a
Talk with your counselor about the part friends and peers play in committing crime, preventing it, and being affected by it
- Requirement 7b
Talk with your counselor about ways to stand up to pressure from peers
- Requirement 7c
Talk with your counselor about bullying and hazing, and the signs a friend might be bullying you or another person
- Requirement 7d
Talk with your counselor about how gangs affect communities
- Requirement 8
Substance use and crime
Tips for this section: Talk with a trusted adult about how drug and alcohol use can lead to crime and other problems.
- Requirement 8a
Talk with your counselor about the legal and health effects of using illegal drugs, misused (diverted) prescription drugs, alcohol, and tobacco or vaping products
- Requirement 8b
Talk with your counselor about how substance use leads to violence and property crime and makes a person more likely to become a crime victim
- Requirement 8c
Talk with your counselor about how programs for drug abuse awareness, prevention, and recovery help reduce crime
- Requirement 8d
Talk with your counselor about where to turn if you or someone you know has a problem with alcohol or drugs
- Requirement 9
Online crime
Tips for this section: Learn the signs of online scams. Never share passwords or personal information online.
Example for this section: Bring two real-looking scam messages, like a fake prize text or a "your account is locked" email, and point out the warning signs: urgency, odd links, requests for passwords or gift cards.
- Requirement 9a
Talk with your counselor about how to keep from becoming a victim of crime online
- Requirement 9b
Talk with your counselor about common online money scams
- Requirement 9c
Talk with your counselor about what good online security looks like
- Requirement 9d
Talk with your counselor about identity theft and ways to prevent it
- Requirement 9e
Talk with your counselor about how criminals use social media to find victims
- Requirement 9f
Talk with your counselor about how bullying, texting, and sharing photos can turn into crimes
- Requirement 10
With your counselor's approval and a parent's or guardian's permission, interview a police officer or civil servant about their crime prevention work, why they chose this career, and what their duties are; discuss what you learned with your counselor
Tip: Contact your local police department to set up a talk. Prepare questions about their job ahead of time.
- Requirement 11
Name three careers that use crime prevention skills and knowledge; pick one and research its training, education, certification, experience, and costs to get started, plus job outlook, starting pay, and advancement; then tell your counselor what you learned and whether it interests you
Tip: Look into jobs like police officer, detective, lawyer, or security specialist.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A police or sheriff's station
Meet officers or a community resource officer, see the dispatch center or patrol cars, and ask your interview questions.
How: Have an adult call the non-emergency line and ask for the community relations or outreach officer to schedule a visit for your patrol.
A courthouse open to the public
Watch how a judge, attorneys, and a clerk handle cases and keep the process fair.
How: Go with a parent. An adult can call the court clerk's office to ask which sessions are open to visitors and what the rules are for entering.
Where it can lead
- Police officer or sheriff's deputyPatrols, responds to calls, and works with neighborhoods to prevent crime.
- Crime scene technicianCollects and documents evidence; some train through community college programs.
- Attorney or judgeProsecutes, defends, or decides cases in court; requires law school.
- Social worker or victim advocateSupports people affected by crime and connects them with help.
- Fraud investigatorTracks scams and identity theft for banks, businesses, and government agencies.
Ask yourself
- What did you think made a neighborhood safe before this badge, and what do you think now?
- Who are the adults you trust most, and what makes them easy to talk to?
- When have you felt pressure to go along with something, and what helped you decide?
- What surprised you most about how the justice system works?
- What's one thing you could do to make your street, school, or troop safer for everyone?
Good questions to ask a police officer or other criminal justice professional
- What crimes happen most in our community, and what helps prevent them?
- What does a normal day look like in your job?
- What's something about your work that TV and movies get wrong?
- How do you work with schools and neighborhood groups?
- What advice would you give someone my age who wants to work in this field?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Invite a police officer or community resource officer to speak at a troop meeting.
- Review Scouting America's youth protection and anti-bullying guidance with scouts.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Local police or sheriff's department — Community officers can talk about crime prevention.
- National Crime Prevention Council (opens in a new tab) — Safety tips for families and communities.
- Federal Trade Commission (opens in a new tab) — Information about scams and identity theft.
- NetSmartz (opens in a new tab) — Videos and tips on online safety, scams, and what to do if something feels wrong.
- IdentityTheft.gov (opens in a new tab) — How identity theft happens and the steps people take to recover from it.
- Childhelp (opens in a new tab) — A national nonprofit with a hotline for kids and families when someone is being hurt.
- Scouting America Safeguarding Youth (opens in a new tab) — The rules Scouting uses to keep youth safe, and how to report a concern.
Pairs well with
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.