Beaten teen speaks out after Webster police defend his rough arrest caught on camera
Strategies for Youth Executive Director Lisa Thurau spoke with WHDH’s Mari Salazar about this week’s interaction between Webster Police and a 17-year-old:
“This leads us, once again, to urge the state of Massachusetts… to create standards for law enforcement agencies, policies for law enforcement agencies, and practices that reflect these developmental differences – especially when it comes to use of force.”
Webster police defend arrest of teen caught on video after he accuses them of excessive force
The Webster Police Department released body camera footage this week showing officers punching and using a taser during the arrest of a juvenile.
WBZ spoke with Strategies for Youth’s Executive Director Lisa Thurau about the need for statewide training and policies for law enforcement officers and standards for law enforcement agencies.
SFY’s mission is based on the understanding that when officers understand youth behaviors and effectively respond to them, our communities are safer.
Memphis schools see attendance dip amid Memphis Safe Task Force, increased ICE operations
Lisa Thurau is the executive director of the national nonprofit Strategies for Youth, which focuses on best practices for how law enforcement and youth should interact and has run law enforcement training in Tennessee. SFY has been outspoken on the effects that National Guard deployments in U.S. cities will have on youth.
Thurau explained that even the positioning of law enforcement or ICE vehicles near school can cause a “ripple effect” on the school community. Thurau said that she hopes leaders in Memphis want more students at school, but if law enforcement and ICE are canvassing areas near school, parents might not feel comfortable sending their kids into that environment.
“Once you’ve created a risk and a threat, any parent who cares about their child is going to think twice about putting them in a further position of risk by taking them to school,” Thurau said.