Successful Practices & Strategies	 Vol. 5 | No. 8 

West Palm Beach Police Department 

West Palm Beach, Florida 

www.wpb.org/Departments/Police-Department/Home 

Community policing element	 

Community partnerships and problem solving	 

Problem/issue 

Juvenile offenders and their involvement in 

violent crime 

Problem description 

Juvenile offenders in low-income areas with higher rates of violent crime are too often failed by 

traditional juvenile diversion programs and soon progress to violent offenses and adult criminal records. 

Gangs have been growing in the immediate metropolitan area at an alarming rate. 

Community policing strategies implemented 

The pioneers of this project took best practices from a variety of successful departments, including 

Boston (Operation Ceasefire); High Point, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri (Aim4Peace Program 

using public health); New York City (social media); and Durham, North Carolina (Project Safe 

Neighborhood). One success story we have is our Reduction Intervention Prevention (RIP) program. 

In response to repeated violence involving the city’s inner city youth, the West Palm Beach Police 

Department looked to develop a new approach to prevent youth and gang-related violence. Thus, West 

Palm Beach Operation Youth Violence, RIP was developed. 

The resulting program brought together the resources of local community leaders, leaders from the 

faith-based community, and other public and private entities to identify and assist young people who 

are at vulnerable points in their lives. The program is aimed at first-time felony offenders to provide 

them the necessary resources and mentoring in hopes they will become productive members of the 

community. Team members including police, community leaders, faith-based leaders, and 

representatives from our public and private partners jointly made home visits to offenders to offer 

services. The program is 100% voluntary. 

The second tier of the operation is geared toward stricter sentencing in the criminal justice system for 

those who decline to accept assistance and instead become repeat offenders. 
 

 

Partnerships include the following: 

•	 Urban League of Palm Beach County 

•	 Black on Black Crime Prevention 

•	 Youth Crime Prevention and Intervention Programs 

•	 Teen Outreach Program 

•	 Urban Youth Empowerment Programs 

•	 National Urban League Incentives to Excel and Succeed 

•	 Workshops including Youth Gang Resistance, Social Responsibility, Behavior Modification, and 

Parenting Skills 

•	 The Youth Empowerment Center 

•	 Teen Council 

•	 Video and Audio Production 

•	 Computer Training 

•	 Web Design 

•	 Digital Literacy 

•	 Community Garden 

•	 Open Gym 

•	 SAT and Act Prep 

•	 Homework Study 

•	 Professional Tutors 

•	 Digital Awareness 

•	 Digital Photography 

•	 Reading Club 

•	 Students Against Violence 

•	 Gang Resistance Education 

•	 State Attorney’s Office 

•	 Department of Children and Families 

•	 Palm Beach Behavioral Health and Wellness 

•	 Department of Juvenile Justice 

•	 School Board of Palm Beach County 

•	 Baptist Ministries Conference 

The partners involved implemented the Neighborhood Accountability Board as a diversion program 

offered to first-time misdemeanor offenders. The goals are to provide the victim and community the 

opportunity to converse with an offender in a safe and productive manner, to provide an opportunity 

for an offender to take responsibility for his or her actions and to make amends, to provide citizen 

ownership of the justice system, and to provide a timely community response to repair harm. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change and/or impact as a result of these community policing efforts 

Recidivism among participants (in the first six months, 3 of 79 participants became repeat offenders) is 

significantly below that of first-time offenders as a whole prior to the program (15 of 102 who met the 

program’s criteria were repeat offenders). 

•	 More than 40 youths have walked through the doors at the Urban League or Youth Empowerment 

Center. 

•	 26 youths have completed a five-week job readiness course. 

•	 7 youths are enrolled in a GED program. 

•	 6 youths have earned industry-recognized credentials (forklift or security). 

•	 2 youths have earned a high school diploma. 

•	 11 youths have found subsidized employment. 

•	 5 youths have participated in youth empowerment programs. 

•	 3 families have used DCF services for family care. 

•	 Total crimes committed by youthful offenders included a lower percentage of the most violent 

offenses. By the second six months of the program, the rate decreased from 47% to 39% (involving 

firearms, robbery, or homicide). 

Lessons learned through program implementation 

In the second year of the program, funding was temporarily lost for programs that provided financial 

assistance for participants to study for and take their GED or attend other training. As a result, there was 

immediate reduced participation and a lack of growth in the program as a whole. Although much of the 

funding has been restored through alternate sources, some residual damage lingered, slowing program 

growth and success. A consistent funding source is critical to program success and credibility with 

potential participants. 

The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the 

U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an 

endorsement by the author(s) or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement 

discussion of the issues. 

The Internet references cited in this document were valid as of the date of publication. Given that URLs and websites are in 

constant flux, neither the author(s) nor the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services can vouch for their current validity. 

Published 2018