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### The Pillars of 21st Century  Youth-focused Policing

*Introduction*

     The *Final Report of the President’s  Task Force on 21st Century Policing* points out how the  mission of law enforcement is “to build trust between citizens and their peace  officers so that all components of a community are treating one another fairly  and justly and are invested in maintaining public safety in an atmosphere of  mutual respect.”1 One of the keys to building trust in communities is more effective relations  between law enforcement agencies and young people.

     How law enforcement agencies police youth is  critical to constructing confidence in those agencies designed to serve the  public. To that end, youth-focused policing can employ the six pillars  framework used by the task force:
        - Building  Trust and Legitimacy
        - Policy  and Oversight
        - Technology  and Social Media
        - Community  Policing and Crime Reduction
        - Training  and Education
        - Officer  Safety and Wellness

*Building  Trust and Legitimacy*

     The task force pointed out that people are more  likely to “obey the law when they believe that those enforcing it have  authority that is perceived as legitimate.”2 When  it comes to engaging young people, law enforcement agencies must find a variety  of ways to encourage officers to build trust and legitimacy with youth.  Officers must exhibit a “guardian” rather than a “warrior” mentality. This is  accomplished by ensuring that there are nonenforcement opportunities for  positive interaction between youth and the police. Clarence Cox, Chief of the Clayton  County (Georgia) Public Schools Office of Safety and Security,  explains how his officers are involved in mentoring students throughout the  year: “We talk, share, care, and show respect for young people. We emphasize  that in order to build trust with our youth they need to know that police are a  caring part of the community that we serve.” 

*Policy  and Oversight*

     Policy is another powerful strategy that can be used  to enhance youth-focused policing. Local policing policies must reflect local  community values. Communities should aim to develop policies and strategies to  reduce crime and improve relationships and engagement with young people.      Law  enforcement leadership can work with local schools to develop policies that  help lessen involvement of youth in the justice system. Recent developments in  the United States, including the landmark *School Discipline Consensus Report* produced by the Council  of State Governments Justice Center, have reinforced that  the School Resource Officer’s (SRO) role is *not* to enforce school discipline rules. The report’s policy statement says: 

     “Educators and school officials do not call on  officers to respond to students’ minor misbehavior that can be appropriately  addressed through the school’s disciplinary process, and the officers use their  discretion to minimize arrests for these offenses when possible.” 3

*Technology  and Social Media*

     The use of technology provides an opportunity to  better engage youth and improve communications. One rapidly changing technology  is social media.  Police agencies are  using tools such as setting up their own Facebook page and Tweeting out  information that provides details that may be left out by mainstream media. Because  youth are often more comfortable than adults are using social media, by  participating in these new media, law enforcement can set up methods of  communications with youth that let the agencies provide needed information as  well as collect information about rapidly evolving situations involving the  public’s safety. 

*Community  Policing and Crime Reduction*

     Community policing is about working with community  residents—including youth—to co-produce public safety. For youth-focused  policing that means engaging youth in the process of community safety,  including their voice in testimony about the problems facing the community as  well as in joint problem solving. Some law enforcement agencies are making a  more conscious effort to engage youth as the eyes and ears of the department,  with the aim of giving them a stake in the future of the community. 

     In  an effort to reduce and prevent crime by youth in Rockland County, New York,  in 2008 District Attorney Thomas Zugibe partnered with Spring Valley  Police Chief Paul Modica and other police departments in  the county to launch the Youth  and Police Initiative (YPI)—an eight-day program of dialogue  that aims to tear down stereotypes of youth and officers, develop mutual respect, and begin long-term positive  relationships. 

*Training  and Education*

     Law enforcement officers and leaders must be trained  in a wide variety of areas involving youth, including how to engage young  people positively, de-escalation techniques, understanding youth brain  development, the impact of trauma and other mental health issues, cultural  differences among youth populations, and more. 

     Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training—which state  Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commissions should offer for basic  recruit and in-service training, according to the task force—is an example of  training that a number of agencies around the United States are using. The Montgomery  County (Maryland) Police Department provides a 40-hour  training course focused on handling incidents involving persons (including  youth) with mental illness, developmental disabilities, co-occurring disorders  (mental health and substance use), and brain injuries. All Montgomery County  School Resource Officers are required to attend CIT training to learn about  county resources that are available to youth in crisis.

*Officer  Safety and Wellness*

     Enhancing relationships with youth and the rest of  the community will, in and of itself, enhance officer safety. For example, the Vancouver (Washington)  Police Department provides youth workshops where role reversal techniques are used in mock scenarios  to provide the opportunity for the youth to experience making decisions under  pressure and how to de-escalate a tense situation. Officers then discuss with  the youth what they observed and felt, if they perceived threats, and how and  why they made decisions during the scenario.   This popular interaction has helped youth appreciate what officers must  deal with; such awareness should have the benefit of a reduced threat to  officer safety on the street.

*Conclusion*

     Building trust between law enforcement and youth in  our communities is a critical task for twenty-first century policing. By taking  a closer look at each of the pillars used by the President’s Task Force on 21st  Century Policing, law enforcement agencies can develop and implement effective  youth-focused policing, and strengthen their relations with youth. This  approach will pay off now and even more so in the future.

The article above is excerpted from the article, “21st  Century Youth-Focused Policing: Engaging Youth Through the Six Pillars,”  published in the March issue of IACP’s Police Chief magazine.

John Rosiak,    Prevention Partnerships  Rosiak Associates, LLC

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### References

1 President's  Task Force on 21st Century Policing, *Final Report of the President's Task  Force on 21st Century Policing* (Washington, DC: Office of Community  Oriented Policing Services, 2015), http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/taskforce/TaskForce_FinalReport.pdf.

2Ibid.,  1.

3Emily Morgan et al., *The  School Discipline Consensus Report: Strategies from the Field to Keep Students  Engaged in School and Out of the Juvenile Justice System* (New York: The  Council of State Government’s Justice Center, 2014), 183, https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/sites/default/files/The_School_Discipline_Consensus_Report.pdf

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COPS Office Photo Contest – April Winner | The Pillars of 21st Century  Youth-focused Policing| Operation Conversation: Cops & Kids | Arizona Interdiction for the Protection of Children Program | 2016 COPS Office Solicitations

 

 

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