News & Events
SFY In the News

Arizona allocates additional training to school resource officers; is it enough?
In a nation torn apart by school shootings, the question remains: Is what’s being done to combat the violence effective? On Nov. 3, a local parent shared an alarming post from an anonymous user on social media threatening the Morenci Unified School District.

NOTEBOOK: Assemblyman Stec hears from area BOCES students
The second part of this article, the author discusses SRO oversight and a new report from Strategies for Youth has found less than half of states have legislation requiring SRO training with even fewer requiring de-escalation training or adolescent development training.

School Resource Officers Lack Training, Effectiveness Questioned: Study
While the federal government has spent close to $1 billion to deploy police in our nation’s public schools, it remains “unclear how effective” the School Resource Officers (SROs) are in preventing the school tragedies that have rocked the nation for 20 years–tragedies that are used as a justification for their deployment, according to a new study from the nonprofit group Strategies for Youth (SFY).

Peer-reviewed Report on School-based Policing in Maine
Strategies for Youth provided peer review for this 2019 report issued by the Cutler Institute at the University of Southern Maine. SFY reports are also cited as source material for the study.

KNX News Clips — Child Arrests
Lisa Thurau from SFY discusses the number of children arrested across the country on KNX 1070 Newsradio in Los Angeles.

Nearly 30,000 children under age 10 have been arrested in the US since 2013: FBI
The recent arrests of two 6-year-old students in Orlando, which prompted outrage and the firing of the officer who restrained one child’s hands with flex cuffs, mirrors a persistent problem confronting law enforcement and schools with thousands of children arrested annually and treated like “mini-adults,” experts said.

Art, Writing Shows What Young People Want From Police
A police officer kneels down face to face with a child. “I’m sorry I stole,” the child cries. “It’s OK. Just don’t do it again,” the officer replies. In another scene, a child looks upward to the officer…

Juvenile Justice Jeopardy strives to keep youth out of the court systems
It’s a new spin on a classic American game show, “Jeopardy!” But Juvenile Justice Jeopardy could end up saving lives. A new program is educating teens about the justice system and improving their relationship with police.

Game aims to improve youth, police interactions
Omaha Police and Strategies For Youth teamed up with the Boys & Girls Club in South Omaha for Juvenile Justice Jeopardy on Tuesday.

LPD officers, staff train on how to work with teens
Police officers encounter a variety of situations throughout the day and training for the wide range of circumstances is a never-ending job. Recently, statistics have shown that there may be specific reasons teens are a portion of the population that can begin with a calm situation that escalates quickly.
Webinar

Improving Law Enforcement/Youth Interactions in Times of Crisis
How is the current COVID-19 pandemic is impacting youth and their families? Experts provide recommendations for positive law enforcement response.
The webinar took place on April 21, 2020. Click the button below to watch the video and see the supporting materials.