By David Madden

WEST GOSHEN, Pa. (CBS) — Some two dozen people attended a session this morning aimed at helping to prevent sex crimes in Chester County.

Teachers, police officers, and just plain folk were among those comparing notes on, as organizers called it, “Planning For a Safer Chester County.”

The main target at this meeting was sexual violence: how to notice it or, better yet, how to prevent it in the first place.

“When you look at the big picture, it does seem overwhelming,” says Kristin Hess, who handles community outreach at the county Crime Victims Center, “so we do need that motivation.  But it doesn’t have to be a huge project. It could be as simple as standing up (and) saying something when you see something wrong.”

Another challenge, participants said, is mixed messages presented on popular media which might suggest that violence against women and children is acceptable in some form.

It’s not, they say, and it’s up to parents to drive that point home to their kids.