Understanding Youth Plays Big Part in Law Enforcement
Seventy-five officers and law enforcement trainers from across Maryland have a better understanding on how to relate to youth. The Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission and the Governor’s Office for Crime Control and Prevention (GOCCP) recently launched a new training for school-based law enforcement officers and school resource officers.
Participants learned how to:
• Build youth and officer relationships
• Have a deeper understanding of youth culture and adolescent development
• Limit the use of arrests to situations that threaten the safety of students, staff and others within or near school buildings
As part of the
training session , instructors detailed differences between community policing and working within a school setting. Trainers stressed that in dangerous situations officers should rely on their core police
training and departmental procedures to determine a course of action.
The curriculum was mandated by legislation. ACY was a key participant in developing the curriculum in collaboration with the Commission, GOCCP, the ACLU of Maryland, Disproportionate Minority Contact Reduction Coordinators, Maryland Disability Law Center, Open Society Institute-Baltimore, Project HEAL and law enforcement officers across Maryland.
For more information or to organize a training session in your area, contact Angela Conyers Johnese, Juvenile Justice Director, ajohnese@acy.org.
Groundwork Begins on Voluntary In-home Services to Support Families
Maryland is moving full steam ahead with its efforts to implement
Alternative Response (AR). The Department of Human Resources is chairing an advisory council which includes representatives from schools, service providers, attorneys, pediatricians and local departments of social services. As a member of the advisory council, ACY is actively engaged in developing the policies, practices and the evaluation of AR. The wide range of participants ensures that Maryland’s AR program will address all the different needs of those involved with the child welfare system.
For more information, contact Melissa Rock, Child Welfare Director, mrock@acy.org.
