Over the years, I’ve had hundreds of conversations with CPTED practitioners, law enforcement agencies, planners, developers, school districts, nonprofits, and local governments. While many of those conversations started with questions about training, they often ended up somewhere completely different.

The conversation would shift from “How do we register for a class?” to “Can we talk through a project we’re working on?” Sometimes it involved a city looking to develop CPTED standards. Other times it was a planning department trying to incorporate CPTED into their development review process. We have spoken with communities exploring zoning updates, organizations trying to improve public spaces, and agencies looking for practical ways to align planning and public safety objectives.

What became increasingly clear was that not everyone reaching out to the NICP was looking for training. Many were looking for guidance.

For years, we’ve accommodated these requests whenever possible. In many cases, organizations wanted the opportunity to spend dedicated time with Art Hushen discussing a specific project, challenge, initiative, or opportunity. These conversations often proved incredibly valuable because they allowed organizations to benefit from decades of practical CPTED experience before making important planning, policy, or development decisions.

As these requests became more frequent, we began discussing whether it was time to formally offer this as a service. The answer became obvious.

Today, I am excited to announce the launch of CPTED Strategic Advisory Services through the National Institute for Crime Prevention.

This new service is designed to provide organizations with direct access to more than three decades of CPTED experience through focused advisory sessions led by Art Hushen.

For those unfamiliar with Art’s background, he spent thirty years with the Tampa Police Department and helped establish one of the first dedicated CPTED Units in the United States. Throughout his career, he has worked with local governments, planning departments, public safety agencies, architects, developers, schools, and community organizations on a wide range of CPTED-related initiatives. His experience includes development review, CPTED ordinance development, planning policy, standards creation, implementation strategies, and public safety planning.

While training remains at the core of what we do at the NICP, training is often only the first step. Once an organization understands CPTED principles, the next question is usually how to apply them.

How should CPTED be integrated into planning and zoning processes? What should a development review process look like? How can an organization create meaningful CPTED standards? How do public safety goals fit into long-term planning decisions? These are not questions that can always be answered in a classroom setting. Often, they require discussion, collaboration, and practical guidance tailored to a specific situation.

That is exactly why we created this service.

CPTED Strategic Advisory Services are intended for organizations seeking guidance on planning, zoning, development review, CPTED standards, policy development, public space design, implementation strategies, and other public safety initiatives. Every engagement is customized to the goals and challenges of the requesting organization.

One of the things I find most exciting about this new service is that it reflects the continued evolution of the NICP. For more than two decades, we have focused on education, training, and professional development. Those services remain incredibly important and will continue to be a major part of our mission. At the same time, we recognize that many organizations are looking for support beyond training. They want access to experience, perspective, and strategic guidance as they work through complex projects and important decisions.

In many ways, CPTED Strategic Advisory Services is a natural extension of what we have already been doing for years.

The difference is that we now have a dedicated service designed specifically for those needs.

As communities continue to face complex public safety challenges, I believe there is tremendous value in bringing together planning professionals, public safety practitioners, community leaders, and development stakeholders to have thoughtful conversations about how the built environment can support safer and more successful communities.

We are excited to officially make this service available and look forward to working with organizations across the country.

If your organization is exploring CPTED standards, planning initiatives, development review processes, public safety strategies, or other CPTED-related projects, I invite you to learn more about our new CPTED Strategic Advisory Services program and reach out to discuss your goals.

Sometimes the most valuable thing we can offer is not another training course. Sometimes it is simply the opportunity to sit down, discuss a challenge, and benefit from the lessons learned through decades of practical experience.