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Youth and Family Services Initiatives

The Raleigh Police Department looks for ways to create opportunities for the city’s youth to build character and confidence through mentorship, physical activities, and meaningful engagement. Department initiatives provide children and teens with a valued voice in community and city affairs while also providing a channel for communication and understanding.  

Youth Services Unit

The Youth Services Unit proactively engages in positive interactions with youth in the community. The unit consists of youth officers, a youth outreach coordinator, part-time mentors, and a sergeant. The unit’s goal is to improve relationships on the community and family level, promote education, prepare youth for careers, and decrease the number of children and teens involved in criminal activity.

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The Youth Services Unit seeks to:

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  • Improve community relations with law enforcement

  • Improve relationships between youth and law enforcement

  • Improve relationships between youth and peers

  • Improve relationships between youth and family

  • Promote education

  • Prepare youth for a career

  • Decrease the number of youths involved in criminal activity

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Engaging the area youth in positive activities with law enforcement and community partners is a major objective of the Youth Services Unit. The Raleigh Police Department has longstanding partnerships with organizations such as IBM, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) schools, and various City of Raleigh departments to expose young people to new ideas and employment opportunities.

 

Currently there are five officers, an outreach coordinator, five part-time mentors, and one sergeant assigned to the Youth Services Unit. The unit sends annual requests for assistance to civilian and sworn personnel of the Raleigh Police Department, citizen volunteers, and other community partners to help effectively and efficiently run youth programs. Programs are located in police facilities, community centers, and non-profit organizations throughout Raleigh.

School Resource Officers

School Resource Officers (SROs) are specially selected and trained patrol officers who are assigned to each Raleigh high school. They are assigned to work in collaboration with the schools and local organizations. They respond to all law enforcement-related incidents originating on their assigned campus and assist in the follow-up investigation of all criminal offenses. They participate in the day-to-day operations of the school and deliver classroom presentations relevant to public safety, crime prevention, and criminal justice. They are available to assist in resolving problems affecting student behavior and participate in their assigned school’s Parent Teacher Association.

Events and Programs Hosted by

the Raleigh Police Department

The LEADER Program

The LEADER (Learning to Earn and Demonstrate Exemplary Respect) Program is an 8-lesson mentorship program taught to 5th grade students. The program’s curriculum was created by staff members of the Wake County Public School System and in collaboration with the Raleigh Police Department. During 2019, five Youth Services Unit officers taught LEADER. Topics included the role of police and safety; role modeling and peer pressure; bullying, gang awareness; family relationships; alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; internet awareness and decision making; and goal setting.

 

The Youth Services Unit officers taught the LEADER Program in 46 Wake County elementary schools in the City of Raleigh limits throughout 2019.

Summer Youth Programs

The Raleigh Police Department’s Youth Services Unit usually offers six summer programs every season. Those programs are: 

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  • The RBI Mentorship Baseball League and Girls Basketball Camp

  • Girls Inspiring Real Leadership and Sisterhood (G.I.R.L.S.) Camps

  • Leaders of Tomorrow Camp

  • Junior Police Academy

  • Soccer Camps

 

The year 2020 marked the 10-year anniversary of the RBI Mentorship Baseball League and G.I.R.L.S. Camps. In 2019, 265 youths attended the Raleigh Police Department’s summer youth programs.

Youth Mentor Events

During the school year in 2019, retired part-time youth mentors spent afternoons in Raleigh community centers engaging elementary- and middle school-aged children enrolled in the Community Afterschools Program (CAPS). Youth mentors also coordinated events and outings for children in CAPS. There was a trip to NC State University Women’s Basketball Game, several movie nights, and a visit to the Meadows Light Show.

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Reunions and Other Follow-Up Engagements

The Youth Services Unit remains in contact with summer program participants by hosting reunions, volunteer events, and sports outings. 

 

In recent years, G.I.R.L.S. Camp participants went to the International Civil Rights Center & Museum. They also spent an afternoon at Atria Senior Living Center, volunteering during the Fall Festival by manning game stations, serving food, and interacting with seniors at the center. Additionally, youth officers have visited preschools, elementary and middle schools. Officers participated in Community Helper Day and career fairs at Wake County schools.

Bigs in Blue

The Raleigh Police Department partnered with Big Brother, Big Sister of the Triangle and Millbrook Middle School to form the Bigs in Blue program. Starting in 2019, Raleigh Police Department personnel began serving as mentors to 7th and 8th grade students at Millbrook Middle School, allowing Bigs to visit with their Littles at school.

2019 Shop with a Cop

More than 50 officers attended the 2019 Shop with a Cop event at the Brier Creek Walmart. Joining them were 49 youths ranging in age from 10 to 16 years old. The event was to help provide holiday presents for disadvantaged families.

 

Several civilian employees and community partner volunteers—CPI Security and Blue Knights Motorcycle Club—were in attendance. McGruff and Santa Claus also made an appearance. The Raleigh Charter High School Band played holiday music during the event.

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The Giving Tree

In 2019, The Youth Services Unit hosted The Giving Tree event. A tree was decorated with 42 tags, each with the name of a child or teen and information referred from Raleigh Police Department personnel. Department employees purchased unwrapped gifts based on the information on the tags and returned the items to the tree. A wrapping party was held for the parents of the children. Also at the event, Raleigh Police Department personnel attended religious services alongside parents and assisted with wrapping presents.

The Outlook on Engaging Youth

Short-Term Goals

 

In the short term, the Youth Services Unit expects to see changes in:

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  • Attitudes of the youth toward law enforcement

  • Behavior at school

  • Relationships with family members

  • The number of families served

  • Views of self by children and teens

Long-Term Goals

 

In the long term, the Youth Services Unit expects to see changes in:

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  • Attitudes of youth toward law enforcement

  • High-school graduation rates

  • The number of runaways

  • The number of youth offenders

  • Relationships between the youth and teachers

  • Relationships between children and teens

  • Educational achievements

  • Future employment

Signs of Progress

This chart is reflective of the work initiated by the men and women in the department to encourage young people to develop, grow, learn, and correct behavior outside of the traditional criminal justice process. 

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