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CAMBRIDGE, MA, UNITED STATES, December 10, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Strategies for Youth (SFY), the national policy and training organization dedicated to improving interactions between law enforcement and youth, announced Wednesday the selection of veteran juvenile prosecutor Anthony V. Pierro as the organization’s next executive director. “This leads us, once again,

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

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

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

Before a fourth-grader was sprayed with tear gas in 2021 and forced into the back of a Rochester, New York, squad car, an officer shouted: “You’re acting like a child!” “I am a child!” the girl screamed back. In recent years, children as young as 8 and 9 have been

AUBURN, Maine — A few dozen police and school resource officers across Maine are being trained this week on how to interact with teenagers. The training, called “Policing the Teen Brain,” is being offered by Strategies for Youth, a nonprofit that works to improve how officers police young people. According

City and state officials have vowed to use every tool to keep military troops out of Chicago. Charlie De Mar reports on what a National Guard deployment in Chicago might look like.

The city of Dayton is partnering with the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association to address the gun violence in several communities. GDAHA will lead the Cure Violence initiative, treating violence as a public health issue. This effort is a key part of the city's Peace Campaign. WYSO’s Kathryn Mobley spoke

BOSTON, MA- The busybodies are at it again in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) has developed draft standards that would impact how Massachusetts police officers interact with youth in the state, reports Governing. The new standards, created by a commission primarily comprised of social workers

The City of Chicago is searching for financial solutions amidst hundreds of pending police misconduct cases, spending more than double the $82 million budget. Eight years ago, police burst down the door of the Mendez family home unannounced, pointing guns at Hester and Gilbert Mendez, and their sons Peter and

Massachusetts is taking a new look at how police officers should treat minors. In 2020, the commonwealth created an independent agency charged, in part, with creating minimum certification standards for law enforcement agencies. One element of those standards is how law enforcement should interact with juveniles. In late June 2025,

A new report shows Massachusetts is backsliding on some aspects of juvenile justice reform. Jim Braude and Margery Eagan speak with Lisa Thurau and Kristen Wheeler of Cambridge-based nonprofit Strategies for Youth

WESTBROOK, Maine — Parents are increasingly concerned about how to keep their children safe from online predators, but many don’t know what signs to look for—especially with social media constantly evolving. That’s why the “Don’t Get Groomed” initiative, an educational program hosted by Strategies for Youth, was in Westbrook this

Officers from the cities of Concord, Pittsburg and El Cerrito police departments attended a 4-day Train-the-Trainer cohort training event on April 1-4th at the Probation Department where they completed 28 hours of training on best strategies for teaching their peer officers on important principles and strategies that promote positive interactions

EXETER, N.H. — A nonprofit organization is working to teach young Granite Staters about the juvenile justice system. The Juvenile Justice Jeopardy Program is part of a statewide initiative working to prevent youth arrests and improve interactions between kids and law enforcement.

Taking a traumatized teen to the ground is not ‘de-escalation’ After watching video footage of the chaotic scene in Worcester in which a woman was taken into custody by immigration agents and her 16-year-old daughter was then arrested by police, my jaw dropped when I read the statement issued by

Massachusetts is set to become the first state in the nation to introduce statewide regulations on how police interact with young people, a move aimed at addressing racial disparities in the juvenile justice system. The Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, which oversees police certification and training, is responsible