Youth & Police Initiative (YPI)

YPI is a community-based intervention program intended to bring about positive changes in relationships between urban police departments and local at-risk youth. YPI engages up to 15 at risk youth ages 13-18 with the police officers who patrol their neighborhoods in a four-week interactive training program that seeks to prevent gang involvement, reduce crime and limit delinquency among city teens experiencing conflict. The program seeks to increase officers’ knowledge of adolescent development and urban social issues and provides effective communication strategies for interacting with local youth. For youth participants, the program strives to teach conflict de-escalation skills and leave youth with a greater understanding of the responsibilities and challenges faced by police officers in their community. Through open and honest dialogue, stereotypes and barriers are broken down, mutual understanding and empathy occurs, and sustainable community relationships are forged.