FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — APRIL 10, 2025 — The police shooting of 17-year-old Victor Perez in Idaho this week underscores an urgent need for nationwide action to train and set policies for law enforcement’s interactions with young people, national policy and training organization Strategies for Youth said in a statement Thursday.
“The brutal shooting of 17-year-old Victor Perez in Pocatello, Idaho, was entirely avoidable,” said Lisa Thurau, executive director of Strategies for Youth.
Video shows police officers shooting the teenager, whose family said has autism and does not speak, nine times within seconds of arriving on scene, according to published news reports.
“These officers’ actions were the wrong approach — and serve as a glaring reminder of the need to establish and implement developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed, and equitable training and policies for their interactions with youth that focus on de-escalation and diversion whenever possible,” said Shelley R. Jackson, Law Enforcement Policies Attorney at SFY.
“Our youth, especially those living with disabilities, deserve better. The officers in question should have known better. Americans believe law enforcement officers are trained and have policies to guide their interactions with youth, yet most have neither,” Thurau added. “As we’ve seen time and again in communities across the country – no training and no policies mean big risks for kids, especially our most vulnerable youth. Victor Perez and his family are paying the price for this continued oversight.”
SFY’s 12 Model Law Enforcement Policies for Youth Interaction provide a foundational blueprint for law enforcement agencies to address a variety of issues in policing of youth, including youth with disabilities. More information about the Cambridge, Mass.-based organization can be found online at: strategiesforyouth.org
Media Contact
Renee Henrich – Henrich Communications
516-712-5877
renee@henrichcommunications.com
About Strategies for Youth (SFY)
Strategies for Youth (SFY) is a national policy and training organization dedicated to improving interactions between law enforcement and youth. By providing developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed, and racially equitable training since 2010, SFY aims to reduce juvenile arrests and enhance public safety, ensuring better outcomes for young people, police, and their communities. SFY’s 12 Model Law Enforcement Policies for Youth Interaction provide a foundational blueprint relied upon by experts and advocates nationwide. More information about the Cambridge, Mass.-based organization can be found online at: strategiesforyouth.org
Lisa Thurau is the Executive Director of Strategies for Youth (SFY), a national policy and training organization dedicated to improving police/youth interactions through developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed, and equitable training. A lawyer by trade, Lisa founded SFY in 2010 and regularly consults with law enforcement, legislators, education and justice departments, and legal professionals on best practices for police/youth interactions, developing the national standard – SFY’s 12 Model Law Enforcement Policies for Youth Interaction – in 2023. Her work has been featured in major media outlets, including The New York Times and The Washington Post. Lisa holds a J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, a master’s degree in Anthropology from Columbia University, and is a graduate of Barnard College.
Shelley R. Jackson is the Law Enforcement Policies Attorney at the national policy and training organization Strategies for Youth (SFY). Shelley plays a pivotal role in shaping and implementing policies that improve interactions between law enforcement and youth, and helped develop SFY’s signature 12 Model Law Enforcement Policies for Youth Interaction. Before joining SFY, Shelley spent more than 30 years protecting the civil rights of youth, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations, including nearly a decade as a Deputy Section Chief in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) focused on juvenile justice administration and conditions in correctional facilities. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University, and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
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