Officer McGruff won't be asking people to "take a bite out of crime" in Lehi anymore.

Lehi City is moving away from the McGruff safe house program in favor of proactive measures to protect its community's kids.

Through the McGruff program, residents would apply through the Lehi Police Department, get accepted, and have a sign of McGruff, the dog detective, in a front window to let children walking to and from school or playing in the neighborhood know it was a safe house to go to if they felt they were being threatened by strangers or bullies.

"As a police department, we feel like we want to go in a different direction," said Sergeant Darren Paul. "Part of the problem we saw with (the McGruff program) ... we could do a background check on the applicant but not on the others in the home."

Paul announced the department's change in direction at a Lehi Community Council workshop on Friday.

He said people from out of the area could move to Lehi and bring their own McGruff signs in and use them outside of the local program.

Because of those potential loopholes that could pose a threat to a child's safety, police have opted to involve residents in other ways to protect kids.

"We recommend what you do is walk the route with the children and point out neighbors you trust," he said emphasizing the safety in the buddy system as another important practice.

"These people who prey on our children are looking for children who are alone because those are the easiest to take advantage of," he said.

Another safety help would be to form a parent co-operative and parents take turns walking kids to and from school.

"If you see a child by themselves try and keep them bunched up," Paul said. "We're trying to get the word out to kids to not walk alone. That's the challenge is getting them to walk together."

Prevention is also a good cure towards stopping burglaries as well as child predators and he said the department still encourages use of the Neighborhood Watch program.

"The best advice but the simplest advice is to lock your doors," Paul said in addressing break-ins. "Most auto burglaries aren't 'smash and grabs' but they just walk up and try the door."

He said about a month ago a neighbor went outside her church to a full parking lot and observed someone trying all the vehicle doors.

"Almost all property crime is a crime of opportunity," he said. Criminals like it easy and quick.

Paul related to the audience a theft that happens often in Lehi. A homeowner left to run a quick errand and didn't want to bother closing the garage door.

It took less than two minutes for a thief to walk in quickly and grab anything of value, in this case collecting a long bow. He said most criminals are hoping to pawn their items quickly for cash.

"It would have never happened," Paul said, without the homeowner's help by not shutting the garage door.

Kim Spanbauer attended Paul's workshop on the Neighborhood Watch program because she had an personal interest.

"We've been trying to start a Neighborhood Watch at Wines Park," she said.

Free to the public, each workshop is presented by city or civic leaders in the area. A small crowd this time, there are about six others attending, four from the Lehi 4th Ward.

More on the city's Neighborhood Watch program is available at www.lehicity.org/police. Paul and Detective Mark Birch make presentations on Neighborhood Watch to civic organizations, church groups and grassroots neighborhood organizations on request. They can be contacted at 768-7110.

Legacy Center fall programs -- Registration for the Legacy Center fall programs is being taken at the Legacy Center registration office, 123 N. Center St., Lehi, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. or online at www.lehicity.com. Some of the classes are listed below.

American Sign Language -- Registration is on for the American Sign Language 7-week course at the Legacy Center. Cost is $42 and includes a workbook. Residential discount is $7 and members receive a 10 percent discount.

Love and Logic - A Love and Logic course for parents will be held Wednesday evenings at the Legacy Center beginning Sept. 12. Cost per individual or couple is $30 with a $5 discount for residents and includes a workbook.

Clarification -- County tax supervisor Kerry McConnell said the decreased rate for a $200,000 home in Lehi mentioned in the July 19 Lehi Free Press edition "Lehi property taxes go down" was assuming there was no change in the value of the home.