CIT Youth Pgms

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT TEAM
YOUTH PROGRAMS

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Child safety programs can be taught at schools, or for other organizations which may have an interest. Programs include, "Good Touch, Bad Touch," bicycle safety, "Stranger Danger," seat belt safety, violence prevention, traffic safety, "Your Friend, The Sheriff," bicycle rodeos, and other programs. We will also give presentations covering any law enforcement related areas that deal with the safety of children. If you have a specifc subject to address for your organization, we will tailor a program to your needs.

One month advance notice is usually required to have a deputy attend meetings.

CHILD SAFETY EDUCATION PROGRAMS

The Community Involvement Team offers a little peace of mind for parents through the Explorer programs Fingerprinting for Young Children Program. These fingerprints are then turned over to the parents for safekeeping. The Explorers offer this service as part of their scouting pledge to community betterment.

Groups holding community or school functions may request the Law Enforcement Explorers to offer fingerprinting for children at their event by contacting the Community Involvement Team at 688-4180.

CHILD SAFETY EDUCATION PROGRAM
FINGERPRINTING YOUNG CHILDREN
JUVENILE FIRST OFFENDER PROGRAM (JFO)
LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPLORERS PROGRAM
MCGRUFF, THE CRIME DOG
RISK WATCH PROGRAM
TRUANCY INTERDICTION PROGRAM
YOUTH EDUCATIONAL SERIES (YES)

FINGERPRINTING YOUNG CHILDREN

JUVENILE FIRST OFFENDER PROGRAM (JFO)

The PBSO Juvenile First Offender Program is a new program developed to keep youths who have committed minor crimes as their first offense out of the criminal justice system. JFO officers review all PBSO non-custodial juvenile arrests to find candidates for the program. Candidates must be first time arrestees.

In order to qualify, both the victim and the parents of the offender must agree to entry into the program. Once the juvenile is considered for entry into the JFO, he/she must admit guilt in the crime, and agree to accept and complete all sanctions and conditions ordered. These may include curfews, community service, restitution, letters of apology, service on a youth court as a juror, or others conditions. The sanctions are either agreed upon by the JFO officer, victim, juvenile and his/her parents, or are assigned after a hearing before a youth court made up of previous offenders and youth volunteers.

The JFO officer monitors the juveniles conduct and insures the completion of all sanctions and conditions within the appropriate time period. Successful completion of the program guarantees the juvenile will not have a criminal record for the offense.

LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPLORER PROGRAM

Sanctioned through the Boy Scouts of America, this program is available to male and female youths ages 14 (having completed 8th grade), or 15 to 21. Explorers must be full-time students, and must carry grade "C" or above in all of their classes. Explorers attend regular weekly meetings, and have various training in law enforcement related topics.

To receive an application, contact the Community Involvement Team at 688-4180. For information on exploring, visit this web site:www.learning-for-life.org/exploring

MCGRUFF, THE CRIME DOG

With advance notice, McGruff can be scheduled to appear at your community or school function. While he usually comes in conjunction with a crime prevention speaker to assist them is getting their message across, McGruff will sometime arrive at functions on his own to "check out the crowd". After all, he believes in keeping everyone safe, as a good crime dog should. McGruff will usually come prepared with coloring books and Junior Deputy badges to hand out to the children that he always attracts.

RISK WATCH PROGRAM

The Risk Watch program is a comprehensive injury prevention education program taught in the Palm Beach County Public Schools. Risk Watch involves a partnership effort between public schoolteachers, law enforcement officers, firefighter/paramedics, and health professionals. The program targets eight areas that statistically have the highest potential for death or serious injury to children under 14 years of age. The program concentrates on efforts to teach children safety rules to follow concerning these eight areas:

Motor Vehicle Incidents, and safety within a motor vehicle while moving
Fires and Burns, including how to report and escape from a fire
Poisoning; how to recognize danger signs on labels
Falls; how to play safely and still have fun
Firearm Incidents, a leading cause of death and injury among children
Choking, Suffocation and Strangulation; beware of potential hazards
Water Incidents; drowning can happen even in shallow water

For more information, visit:
www.nfpa.org/Education/Professional_Educators/Risk_WatchTM/risk_watch

TRUANCY INTERDICTION PROGRAM

This program, which is a combined effort of Law Enforcement and School Board personnel throughout Palm Beach County, seeks to confront the growing truancy problem in our county. There are currently five truancy sites, which are located in Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach, Wellington, Belle Glade, and Delray Beach. A site for Boca Raton is in the planning stages.

Each site has an officer(s) specially trained to take custody of truants from local police, evaluate the probable reasons for the student's lack of school attendance, and contact the parents to pick the child up at the center. Click here for more on t

YOUTH EDUCATIONAL SERIES (YES)

Developed to replace the DARE and GREAT programs, the Youth Educational Series is the product of a partnership between the Palm Beach County law enforcement community and the Safe Schools Center of the School Board of Palm Beach County. YES consists of an anti-violence curriculum entitled "Aggressors, Victims, and Bystanders" developed by Dr. Ronald Slaby, Ph.D, and a drug prevention curriculum that equips students with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to be drug-free.

Youth Educational Series is taught both at the elementary and middle school levels. The program addresses a wider range of subject material and age groups. We feel that the approach to elementary students, combined with a follow-up in middle school, gives a far better probability of success in bringing our message to children. We also feel that important conflict resolution skills learned early in life may assist children in developing non-violent ways to deal with problems as they grow to become responsible citizens.

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