Critics say a new policy for police encounters with children doesn’t go far enough. More than six years after Cleveland police fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice as he played with a toy gun in a park, sparking national outrage and calls for change, the city is poised to introduce a policy aimed at reshaping how officers interact with children.

Lisa Thurau ’82 helps to heal deep divides between police and kids by reshaping the culture of law enforcement. After more than two decades working as a juvenile justice advocate, Lisa Thurau ‘82 understands just how fraught interactions between cops and children can be. She’s seen firsthand how situations can escalate.

How can school officials accuse her 6-year-old son of sexual misconduct and report him to the police? Charges of racism ensue.

The response to Rochester police handcuffing and pepper-spraying a fourth-grade girl has been swift: New York state and local lawmakers are joining youth justice advocates to demand systemic changes in how police treat kids. In the aftermath of the incident, the Rochester Mayor suspended one of the officers involved, placed two others on administrative leave and launched an internal investigation.

“You’re acting like a child.” That’s what an officer told an already distressed and handcuffed 9-year-old girl who resisted placing her entire body inside a patrol car. Her response, “I am a child.”

We asked an expert in police training dealing with children and a former RPD chief to watch the RPD body camera videos showing a 9-year-old girl in distress and eventually pepper-sprayed by police and tell us what they see. They both say the situation starts out okay, but then it disintegrates, and they can’t understand: “Why were police in such a rush?”

The Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety at WestEd convened a panel of experts in youth development, trauma-informed practices, and school-based law enforcement to discuss challenges and opportunities to improve schools and school systems through the lenses of social and emotional learning, trauma-informed practices, and anti-racism.

After a recent online Statehouse forum focusing on alleged pitfalls of having police resource officers in schools, Webster Police Chief Michael Shaw said he is a strong supporter of policing in schools.

AARP announced its 2021 AARP Purpose Prize award recipients and fellows, the only national award that celebrates people 50-plus who are using their knowledge and life experience to solve tough social problems. This year’s AARP Purpose Prize fellows include Lisa Thurau, Executive Director of Strategies for Youth.

Cassandra Bensahih can’t forget the day seven years ago that her 11-year-old daughter was brought home from school in a police car. A black middle school student in Worcester, she forgot to bring a homework assignment to class that day and was told she had to leave the classroom. When she refused, a school-based police officer was called and she wound up under arrest.