County turns to private funds to fight crime Officer Kevin Vanden Heuvel of the Brown County Sheriff's Department looks over prizes to be awarded for Crime Prevention Foundation of Brown County fund-raising activities by area schools (photo by H. Marc Larson). Facing budget cuts, Brown County found another way to fund its most popular crime prevention programs By Michelle Kennedy News-Chronicle When Brown County Sheriff Tom Hinz travels to other communities and talks about crime prevention, he always brings along two of the donation canisters used for the Crime Prevention Foundation of Brown County. He brings them along so the other law enforcement officials he speaks to can see the kind of effort Brown County is making to prevent crime without the financial help of the county government. Brown County is the first county in the United States to put together a privately funded, non-profit organization solely dedicated to the purpose of preventing crime. Faced with county budget cuts that would severely deplete some of the most popular crime prevention programs in the community, like DARE, Crimestoppers, School Liaison Officers and Teen Court, Hinz approached the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation for help in solving the problem. What has resulted is the Crime Prevention Foundation, which is managed by the Community Foundation. Now, prevention programs will be solely funded by the foundation. "As times get tougher and budgets get tighter, we are forced to cut more and more," said Brown County Executive Nancy Nusbaum. "But there are some things that can never be cut, like incarceration or the carrying out of a judge's sentence. But from the prevention angle, if we invest at the front end, then we will have fewer investments at the other end." Many companies have stepped forward to accept donations in canisters placed on their reception counters. Companies like M & I Bank, Festival Foods and Van's Heating and Cooling are donating portions of sales through the month of October, now designated as Crime Prevention Month in Brown County, to the foundation. With a goal of $1 million, the fund currently has $200,000 and is working with area schools and businesses to collect the rest. "This is a one-of-a-kind foundation," Nusbaum said. "And I have no doubt it will be replicated." The spinoff of a program like this, Hinz said, is the increased awareness for crime prevention in the community. "In schools, students become aware," he said. "Seniors will become aware. The foundation will be around for a lot of years, and whether you donate by putting in a new furnace or dropping money in a canister, the money will stay here in Brown County."