Strategies for Youth (SFY), a national nonprofit training and policy organization dedicated to improving interactions between police and young people, issued 12 Model Law Enforcement Policies for Interactions with Youth. SFY designed the policies to remedy recurring problems in youth policing, including escalation and use of force.
ASPR developed ideas about ways to draw the public’s attention to the need for these policies, especially during a time of division over law enforcement’s role.
First, ASPR worked with SFY to conduct a nationally representative poll that found 56% of Americans think agencies “probably” have written policies for youth interactions—even though most agencies don’t have such guidelines. The SFY poll also found a plurality of Americans still believe that law enforcement should treat youth differently than adults.
These findings then demonstrated the need for SFY’s policies along with news coverage across the country that highlighted the consequences of tragic police-youth interactions.
ASPR’s media outreach resulted in live TV interviews, radio and podcast interviews, op-eds, and other activities that are raising awareness of the policies and how communities can implement them.