Solano County Agencies Attend 'Policing the Teen Brain' Training

From Solano County:

The Solano County Probation Department, Fairfield Suisun Unified School District and officers from local law enforcement agencies across Solano County will be attending the Policing the Teen Brain training event June 27-30 at the Solano County Events Center, 601 Texas Street in Fairfield. The training is funded through the Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction Grant Program which was received by the Probation Department in 2015.

Developed by Strategies for Youth, the Policing the Teen Brain training event seeks to improve interactions between youth and local law enforcement. Officers will gain a better understanding of the development of the teen brain and the teen thought process with the goal to de-escalate potentially violent interactions with tactics that avoid the use of force.

The training is also designed to help participants recognize and address the mental health needs of youth, thus reducing the number of arrests of youth with special needs. Participants will also learn ways to reduce the number of negative contacts they have with youths of color.

"We look forward to this unique training as a step toward enhancing our collective work with youth by supporting police, County Probation, and school officials with the training to recognize and respond to youth with mental health issues," said Chris Hansen, Solano County Chief Probation Officer. “Our goal is to train a core group of probation, law enforcement, and school officials to provide this training, in conjunction with a local psychologist, across the county in a cost-effective sustainable way.”

About 30 participants from Solano's law enforcement, County Probation and the Fairfield Suisun Unified School District will participate in the four-day intensive train-the-trainer course. Participants will be trained by Sacramento State Professor Rita Wedding Cameron on implicit bias and its impact on decision-making.

Additionally, Dr. Matt Aalsma from the University of Indiana will train participants on the differences in how teens perceive process and respond to stimulus using different parts of their brains than adults, and learn skills to work effectively with youth. Participants will also discuss demographic, cultural and legal factors that affect police/youth interactions. Participants will be introduced to youth-serving community based organizations as well as engage in skits with youth to hear how youth perceive interactions with law enforcement.

“We are delighted that Solano County has committed to this training and to equipping officers with the skills and best practices for working effectively with youth,” said Lisa H. Thurau, Executive Director of Strategies for Youth. “Solano should be commended for making this a priority.”

Strategies for Youth is a national nonprofit training and policy organization dedicated to improving police/youth interactions and reducing disproportionate minority contact. Strategies for Youth have worked law enforcement agencies across the country.

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