Police aim to reduce arrests in schools
‘Pre-arrest diversion’ program Fresh START slated for expansion
Anne Arundel police patrol and school resource officers will focus on connecting students with mentors and counselors instead of arresting them for juvenile offenses under an experimental “pre-arrest diversion” program launched in January.
The six-month program named Fresh START — the acronym represents safety, trauma, accountability, restoration and transparency — would refer children ages 7 to 18 years to social workers, job mentors and mental health resources when they commit misdemeanor offenses. Students can currently get a juvenile citation that is the equivalent of an arrest.
“While accountability for one’s actions is a fundamental tenet to program, Fresh Start seeks to address the behavior without labeling,” program director Timmeka Perkins said in a press conference Monday. “Letting ( juveniles) know someone believes in them and cares enough to give them a second chance.”
County police and Anne Arundel County Public Schools already have diversion programs to prevent students who have received citations from committing another offense or being arrested. Fresh Start would divert students who would face possible arrest to resources that address social problems like trauma, mental health and substance use.
Juveniles that would otherwise be charged for offenses like second-degree assault, disorderly conduct, destruction of property, marijuana possession under 10 grams and trespassing can instead meet with a team of counselors and officers for up to six months. Parents and families can also be involved in the program.
Crime victims have to agree that a juvenile offender can go to the program; otherwise, the students would be charged. Teenagers that have already committed two offenses will receive criminal punishment rather than a referral to the program.
Eastern District officers were trained and started the pilot program in January. They have since referred 15 juveniles to Fresh Start. Northern District officers began referrals in April. All public school resource officers are also trained in the program in April.
School resource officers are sworn officers assigned to work in schools. Around 35 officers are planted in schools to form positive relationships with students and protect the community from threats, according to the police department. Officers don’t discipline students, but they do have the ability to refer them to the juvenile justice system.
“Sometimes our young folks make bad decisions; they make destructive decisions at times. And these can be learning experiences,” Superintendent George Arlotto said Monday. “That’s what the Fresh Start program is all about.”
Perkins, who created the program with Cpl. Michelle LeVere, said police are tracking the trial program by recorded offenses and referrals from patrol officers and school resource offices by district, not by individual school.
The program was created to reduce racial
and ethnic disparities in charging and address the “school-to-prison pipeline,” Perkins said, referring to a theory that minority students are disproportionately involved in the juvenile justice system because of disciplinary policies at school.
That theory has played out in the halls of Anne Arundel County schools.
County police charged 770 students at 12 public high schools during the 20172018 school year. The charges range from second-degree assaults and marijuana possession to theft and disorderly conduct. Ten students were charged with sex offenses.
Most of the students charged — 62% — were Black.
Data obtained by The Capital for that school year showed that students at Meade High School were charged with crimes at a rate almost three times the average in Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
School resource officers at Meade logged 183 citations, or juvenile charges, between September 2017 and June 2018, according to data compiled by Anne Arundel County police. The majority of those charges, 79 involving girls and 80 involving boys, involved black students.
The average for Anne Arundel County Public Schools was 68 citations per high school that year.
Since then, Perkins calculated that the county was on track to have 20% fewer school-based citations in the 2019-2020 school year before the coronavirus pandemic closed school doors two months early. About 751 citations, including repeat offenders, were issued in the 2019-2020 school year. Based on the previous year’s data, Perkins said about 960 citations would’ve been issued in the same amount of time. She attributed the decline to police training, intervention efforts to address why individual students are acting out and diversion programs.
“We know the stigmatizing effects of citations and arrests and have on our youth,” Police Chief Amal Awad said Monday. “The Fresh Start program is designed to address the stigma. Now, instead of the label associated with a criminal citation, our youth are met with a team of people who believe in them and want to help them.”