Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), also known as Design Out Crime, is based on the fundamental idea that the proper design and management of the physical environment can deter crime in a specific area. It is based on CPTED principles:
Natural Surveillance
Natural surveillance is the placement of physical features, activities, and people in a way that maximizes visibility. It cannot be achieved through mechanical surveillance such as CCTV cameras. Criminal activity tends to be reduced when the perpetrators perceive a risk of being observed.
Natural Access Control
Natural access control describes controlling access to a site by physically guiding people through a space with the strategic design of hallways, sidewalks, building entrances, and landscaping. We use the specific terminology of “natural” access control to differentiate it from traditional mechanical access control or organized access control.
Territorial Reinforcement
Territorial reinforcement is the use of physical attributes that express ownership such as fencing, pavement treatments, signage, and landscaping. Clear definitions of boundaries separate public spaces from private spaces and establish a sense of ownership.
Maintenance
Maintenance refers to facility and social management that allows for the continued use of a space for its intended purpose. It serves as an additional expression of ownership and prevents reduction of visibility from landscaping overgrowth and obstructed or inoperative lighting. Property is maintained to eliminate the “broken window” factor in the environment.
Training Providers
NICP
I am one of the instructors for the National Institute of Crime Prevention, the premier training group for CPTED on a national and international basis. They offer basic and advanced courses leading to a CPTED Professional Designation (CPD) as well as specialized topics such as CPTED for schools. Their in-person training calendar is available on the NICP website, as well as the online courses. If you need to attend a class or set up on-site training for your group, contact Art or Joelle Hushen and tell them Jay sent you!
FCPTI
The Florida Crime Prevention Training Institute is a program of the Office of the Attorney General of Florida. In addition to traditional crime prevention courses, they offer in-person CPTED classes in Florida. Although I am not an employee, I am the CPTED instructor for FCPTI. For more information, see the FCPTI CPTED page.
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NICP or FCPTI: Two CPTED Training Providers, Two Certifications
What is the Difference?
In the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) world, there are two main training providers for CPTED and two certification designations. What is the difference and which ones are right for you?
CPTED is a form of crime prevention that utilizes environmental modification to achieve the goal of reducing the fear of crime, reducing the incidence of crime, and improving the quality of life. It is experiencing a rapid rise in popularity due to its low-key effectiveness that does not rely on physical target hardening or police response. Architects, planners, code enforcement, fire departments, private security, police officers, school district officials, non-government organizations, private corporations, volunteers, and people around the world are being trained in CPTED and are putting it to use on a daily basis.
In-Person Basic and Advanced CPTED Courses?
Both training providers offer a …
Online CPTED for Schools Class Launched
The National Institute of Crime Prevention (NICP) recently launched a series of online CPTED courses. Although normally conducted as in-person group training classes, these courses were created to meet the overwhelming demand for training opportunities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition to the Basic CPTED and the Advanced CPTED course, CPTED for Schools was added as a specialized topic and is now available. This two day (16 hour) class is designed to be taken at your own pace.
Although recommended, neither Basic CPTED nor Advanced CPTED are prerequisites for this class. Because no previous training is required, the course begins with a brief overview of the basic CPTED principles with the remaining lessons devoted to applying those principles specifically to the school environment. The course is appropriate for anyone who is interested in crime prevention for pre-K, K-12, or college and University campuses whether public …
U.S. Government Launches School Safety Website
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Department of Education (ED), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) created SchoolSafety.gov to share actionable recommendations to keep school communities safe. SchoolSafety.gov aims to help schools prevent, protect, mitigate, respond to, and recover from emergency situations.
The website serves as a portal for locating tools and resources for anyone interested in school safety. Reports such as the U.S. Department of Justice
A Study of the Pre-Attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the U.S. and the Protecting America’s Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence are available through the website.
Federal School Safety Website
School Hardening and Harm Mitigation Best Practices
A Report to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission
The Florida Department of Education presented the following information to the commission on August 15, 2019. Among the numerous prevention strategies were several recommendations regarding Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles.
Video
The video of the presentation can be viewed at this link: 8/15/19 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission Part 2. The School Hardening and Harm Mitigation Best Practices portion of the presentation starts at the 1:42:05 time mark.
PowerPoint presentation in PDF Format
The accompanying School Hardening and Harm Mitigation Best Practices PowerPoint slide presentation can be viewed online here.
Parkland Shooting Response Videos
The entire series of video presentations to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission can be viewed on …
CPTED for Houses of Worship Course
Recent events in the news have created an intense interest in crime prevention and safety for churches, temples, synagogues, mosques and all types of places of worship. Several Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) courses have been designed to combat this specific threat.
CPTED for Houses of Worship Class
The 2-day (24-hour) NICP CPTED for Houses of Worship class is available in-person and will be available online in the near future. The 3-day FCPTI CPTED for Houses of Worship class is available in-person in Florida.
In Florida
The Office of the Attorney General of Florida offers a CPTED Practitioner designation through their Florida Crime Prevention Training Institute. They have created a new 3-Day CPTED for Houses of Worship class for anyone that has already attended the Basic CPTED course or the week-long CPTED for …
School Safety Reports
In addition to the recently released Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission report on the Parkland, Florida school shooting there are several other federal and state reports available to read. Some of them are listed below.
Reports
Reports listed on the U.S. Department of Education Federal Commission on School Safety Website
- Federal Reports on Incidents
- “Final Report of the Federal Commission on School Safety” [PDF, 7.1MB]
- “Prior Knowledge of Potential School Based Violence” [PDF, 1.4MB]
- “Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative” [PDF, 569KB]
- “Report to the President: On issues Raised by the Virginia Tech Tragedy” [PDF, 445KB]
- “Now is the Time”- The White House, January 2013 [PDF, 197KB]
- State Reports on Incidents
- Columbine State Report [PDF, 936KB]
- Virginia Tech State Report [PDF, 17MB] & Addendum [PDF, 4.3MB]
- Sandy Hook State Report [PDF, 2.2MB]
Upcoming CPTED Training Opportunities
FCPTI Advanced Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Course – May 2025
FCPTI Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Update Course – May 2025
FCPTI Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) for Schools at FASRO 2025
FCPTI Basic CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) Course August 2025
FCPTI Advanced Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Course – September 2025
FCPTI Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Update Course – October 2025
FCPTI Basic CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) Course October 2025
FCPTI Advanced Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Course – November 2025