News & Events

SFY In the News

She wants to know why police handcuffed her son in school

Around noon on Dec. 11, 2019, Christeena Lothrop received a text message from another parent at Auburn Middle School, asking if her son was OK. The text showed a picture of Lothrop’s then-13-year-old son, belly down on the floor of the school’s crowded cafeteria, with a police officer kneeling on either side of his back.

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Six Years After Tamir Rice, Cleveland Makes New Rules About Policing Kids

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.

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Calls for Reform Follow Rochester Police Pepper-Spraying a 9-Year-Old Girl

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.

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‘You gave her six minutes to calm down?’ We asked experts in policing to watch the RPD video of the 9-year-old girl

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?”

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Leveraging This Moment to Improve Schools and Systems through the Lenses of SEL, Trauma-Informed Practices, and Anti-Racist Education

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.

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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.

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