Youth Services Unit to launch juvenile diversion program for first-time offenders
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers COMMUNICATION LINES OPEN- Youth Services officer Glenn Ellis laughs with Sinaloa Middle School assistant principal Diana Janke about tracking down tardy students on Thursday morning.

The Simi Valley Police Department's Youth Services Unit is planning to launch a juvenile program next month aimed at giving firsttime offenders a chance at keeping their records clean.

Sgt. Dwight Thompson, who leads the unit, said the diversion program will focus on the rehabilitation of youths who've committed low-level crimes, giving them another chance to learn from their mistakes before being sent through the justice system.

"Rather than immediately taking a first-time juvenile offender and throwing them into probation, we have the authority, and almost the duty, to offer a diversion program," Thompson said. "These are kids that just stepped their first step onto the wrong path, so we ask ourselves, 'What can we do to bring him or her back in line?'"

The Youth Services Unit- consisting of Thompson, three DARE Officers, two Student Resource Officers, and one Youth Service Officer- was created last October to deal specifically with local youth, promoting delinquent behavior prevention and youth outreach instead of more punitive approaches.

Thompson said the diversion program, which is currently being fine-tuned, will offer contracts to minors and their parents asking the kids to complete a set of tasks- perhaps writing assignments, community service or classes- to make amends for lowlevel juvenile crimes like underage cigarette smoking, petty theft or minor vandalism.

"If they successfully complete their tasks and stay out of trouble for, say, six months, we have the authority to shred that case," Thompson said. "It never goes to probation. It starts out with a clean slate."

Participation in the diversion program will be completely optional, and those who don't want to go through it will be sent directly to probation.

Drugrelated offenses or significant crimes will not be eligible for diversion, Thompson said.

While the specific details of the tasks and time limits, which will depend on the severity of the offense, are still being decided. Thompson said the point of the program is to educate kids first.

"The whole idea is to teach them to become better citizens, to teach them the right way of doing things- the difference between right and wrong," he said. "We as police officers and parents have that joint responsibility to kids to give them the guidance as they grow to become productive civilians and adults in the community."

Thompson said his vision for the program also includes something for parents who may want help in guiding their kids.

Within the next month, four officers in the Youth Services Unit, including Thompson, will be certified to facilitate the Parent Project- a 10-week parenting class that teaches defiance prevention and intervention techniques.

Parents of youth in the diversion program won't necessarily be required to participate in the Parent Project, but instead be given a mini-version of the program as part of the diversion contract.

Youth Services Officer Glenn Ellis said the police are not trying to tell parents what to do with their children, but rather give them advice and options that they may not already know about.

"We're trying to be there for parents," Ellis said. "We want to let parents know they're not alone. A lot of times, we just have to be the mediators."

Ellis, who is Simi's first official Youth Services Officer, will be responsible for facilitating diversion contracts once Thompson determines the case is eligible for the program.

Daily youth services

The unit is responsible for monitoring the more than 21,000 kids in Simi Valley Unified School District. Aside from servicing at-risk youth, the unit's primary goal is to be an accessible resource for kids and parents in the community.

"The difference of working with youth (compared to adults) is that we have to encompass their learning capabilities," Thompson said. "We're more of a guidance than the police."

Ellis said that a typical day for him includes checking in with students in the morning who have had truancy problems in the past. He and his fellow officers maintain a daily presence in Simi's schools, especially middle and high schools, in order to evaluate what kids need to stay on track.

The unit's three DARE officers teach drug-resistance classes to sixth-graders in the middle schools, while Ellis and the two Student Resource Officers monitor the high schools.

The Youth Services Unit also runs the Simi Valley Police Explorer Program, where kids between the ages of 14 and 20 get to experience firsthand what it's like to be a part of law enforcement. Explorer cadets get to wear official uniforms, go on ridealongs, learn tactical skills and participate in competitions.

Thompson said the unit also works with the civilian side of youth services, like the Youth Council, the Youth Employment Service and the Teens At Risk Program.

"We've integrated with them to where we use each other as resources, with what we can do with kids," Thompson said. "We basically act as a nucleus resource."