NPSC Announces Poster Contest Winner for Crime Reduction Campaign

The Newark Public Safety Collaborative (NPSC), part of Rutgers-Newark, School of Criminal Justice Anchor Initiative, recently launched a public safety contest to help reduce motor vehicle theft incidents in the city of Newark. The NPSC, along with the Newark School of the Arts (NSA), Engage Fairmount, and Mantena Global Care collaboratively engaged in a data-informed effort aimed at bringing together Newark residents around the shared goal of improving public safety in the city of Newark. As noted by NPSC's Director, Dr. Alejandro Santana, "leaving cars running unattended is associated with up to 21% of all auto theft reported in the city of Newark during 2020."

The NPSC is pleased to announce that the "Reduce Your Emission, Turn Off Your Ignition" public safety poster contest Prize Winner is Liyah Sofia S., a 6-year-old Newark resident and recent Big K graduate of First Avenue Elementary School. Newark-based community organizations will distribute her original artwork at designated high-risk areas for motor vehicle theft due to car idling across the City of Newark. All participating contestants will be awarded "Certificates of Appreciation."

As per the basis of this poster competition, all Newark-based individuals, along with community-based organizations, were invited to participate in this public safety effort. All contestants were encouraged to be creative and to use various recyclable and reusable materials at their disposal. Examples of reusable materials included: leaves, twigs, paper/cardboard, pasta, beans, food labels, shoelaces, empty wrappers, etc. The use of pens, pencils, markers, or paint was optional.

Honorary mention