Kids in Dallas’s urban areas often fall prey to gangs, drugs, and violence. The Circle Ten Council and the Dallas Police Department are giving them the precious gift of hope. ‘Anew Scouting tradition is taking hold in high- crime neighborhoods across the Dalles area. ‘on long-term positive cffocts to help kids reach their full potentialUrban Emphasis ric Conde still chuckles about the day his inner-city Scouts saw “reindeer.” “The kids woke up from thei cabins (at Scout camp) and saw a couple of deer,” he explains, “They came running up yelling, ‘Coach, Coach, Coach, there's some rein- deer: All they saw were a couple of regular mule deer, but they were overwhelmed. ‘They'd never seen real deer before.” Conde is a crime prevention specialist with the Dallas (Texas) Police Department, ut he is also a Scoutmaster and a den leader, one of several volunteers at the police department participating in the Partners in Youth Crime Prevention pro- gram, A joint venture of the Dallas Police Department and the Circle Ten Council, the program is designed to get inner-city kids involved in Scouting at a young age, before they can be wooed by street gangs and drug dealers According to Circle Ten Council Scout Executive William C. “Billy” Gamble, the program got its start when a couple of Dal- las police officers tured some street gangs into Boy Scouts, but discovered the bene- fits were short-term, “They told us once a kid gets in a gang, you hate to say it, but it almost a part of him, and you can't get him out of it, says Gamble, So Gamble turned to Dallas Police Chief Ben Click, a member of the Circle Ten Council Executive Board, who younger boys before they join the gangs. suggested they reach With Clicks help, the council targeted 30 of Dallas’ highest- crime neighborhoods, intent on forming at least one Cub Scout pack in each neighbor- hood. Volunteers from the police department were offered comp time to form and lead the packs. “Our plan was they would do this for one year,” explains Gamble, they were supposed to do two ‘and during the year things: Number one, deliver the program as written in the han‘ book, and number two, involve the parents in the program with the idea that at the end of the year, they would tur the pro- gram over to the parents and let them run it. Just over three years later, the program is widely recognized as a success and boasts 33 Scouting units—mostly Cub Scout packs with a few Boy Scout troops. Many units are being run by parents, as originally planned. In situations where that is not yet feasible, police volunteers gladly remain. As one officer was heard to say, “Even if the funding went away, T'd do it for free.” “There have just been so many wonder- ful success stories in our Partners in Youth Crime Prevention program,” says Gamble. “One police officer in particular said crime dropped 50 percent in his precinct after he 5 Scout Executive Billy Gamble top, and Dallas Police Chief Ben Click combined resources to bring Scouting to kids in high-crime neighborhoods.Si program, ci “Sixty percent of all my kids keep their grades up now because they know I ask Scoutmaster, den leader, and Dallas crime prevention specialist Eric Conde, right. ee nce the inception of the Partners i organized his Scout troop. What he found was, the kids that were doing all the graf fiti and little petty crimes were the boys that finally joined the Scout troop.” Another officer recently caused lumps to form in the throats of his audience when he stated, “I look at the boys, and 1 just think when I look at them: Cub couls today; Boy Scouts tomorrow; lead- crs for the future, “Here was this police officer who had 6 Youth Crime Prevention portedly dropped 50 percent in some areas. never been involved in the Scouting pro- gram before, talking about how much this program meant not only to the kids, but to himself,” Gamble says, It is a feeling shared by many of the volunteers. But as much as the Partners in Youth Crime Prevention program has meant to its volunteers and leaders, there is no doubt that it exists for the kids—kids who see themselves only as Scouts, striv ing as every other Scout to do their bestand, of course, have fun. These Scouts go camping, hiking, and canoeing just like the other 67.500 youth members of the Circle Ten Council. The only difference is, just a few years ago, they would not have had those opportunities. A few years ago, many of these boys might have fallen prey to their violent surroundings. “Most of these kids are not bad kids,” Chief Click points out, “and with some assistance and support, these kids will do just fine, Thats what Scouting has done for them.” Gamble agrees. “We have over 900 kids in this one program, and 26,000 other (urban) Scouts in the Dallas atea, that are not going to be selling drugs,” he says. “They are not going to be committing crimes, and they are going to know some- thing about how to treat their fellow man. “They're learning what the Scout Oath means in their lives, and more importantly, maybe, they now have a trusted adult in their lives who they can count on.” Its still not going to be easy growing up in Dallas’ high-crime neighborhoods, but with a little guidance from the Boy Scouts and the Dallas Police Department volunteers, these kids have a better chance of reaching their full potential. And that is, what the Partners in Youth Crime Preven- tion program is all about ‘As Scout loaders and as officers, police depart- ment volunteers ‘are becoming trusted adult i the fives of many urban kids.