National Victim Assistance Academy

CISC Crime Victims Service Project Director Alan Lai was in Albuquerque, NM last week to attend the March 2011 National Victim Assistance Academy (NVAA). Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, the NVAA provides victim service professionals with skills and knowledge to better serve victims. The trainings were conducted by experts in the criminal justice field and focused on areas such as cultural competence, ethics, resilience, victims' rights, and leadership.

Congratulations to Alan for being accepted into this competitive program. He is pictured here with Carroll Ellis, the new Director of the NVAA.

Minority Issues in Seattle

As part of its program for nonprofit leaders visiting from Thailand, CISC's Crime Victims Program Director Alan Lai will be part of a panel discussion on minority issues in Seattle hosted by the World Affairs Council on March 26.

Admission is free, but reservations are requested. RSVP here or call the Council at 206-441-5910.

Fighting Fraud

Congratulations! You've won our big prize! All you've got to do is give us your social security and bank account numbers...

OK. So maybe they're not quite that obvious, but scam artists often sound legitimate and it's easy to be fooled.

Last week, representatives from the AARP Fraud Fighter Call Center came to Sunshine Garden to educate our seniors on fighting fraud.

Many con artists target seniors over the phone. There are even specialists who conduct their work in Mandarin or Cantonese.

If you think you are a victim of fraud, call the toll free number at 1-800-646-2283. Leave a message and someone will call you back in your language.

For volunteer opportunities, call 206-517-9353 or e-mail waaarp@aarp.org

National Night Out

Last night, CISC took part with the Seattle Police Department and other community groups in the 26th annual National Night Out.

Each year, neighbors across the country come out to prevent crime and drugs in their community. This year was no exception as dozens of Chinatown/International District residents participated in the event.

Organizations like CISC worked to

1. heighten crime and drug prevention awareness,
2. generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs,
   
3. strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships, and
4. send a message to criminals letting them know that Chinatown/ID is organized and fighting back!