Dallas Police Help DTCC rey Positive Values To At-Risk YouthDallas police other urban neighborhoods, ‘ officer Wilma For Navor Perez, 11, asixth grader whose r aq Rockmore pro- family immigrated from Mexico four years vides leadership ago, Seouting opened a whole new work forcub scour Derk Connon (et, Merce thoore (gh : tnd Marc thon," he tock from) at Not onee did he consider how mach his ex- the police de- periences at the Circle Ten Council's 4,000." partment’s Fair acre camping facility might help reduce fu Park storefront ture gang-related violence of the kind that station. today engulfs so many minority youngsters in inner-city Dallas, first time he went camping at Clements. “I got to do lots of horseback riding, and T real- ly liked the archery and air rifle competi- A at sh ( € . \ : Robert, José, and Navor, ho | ever, are in fact trailblazers in 4 : bald effort designed o halt the | ( s d corrosive process that pro- | IIHT | luces violent teen-age erin nals before it starts. (Above] Officer Rockmore helps Cub Scouts Marcel Moore and Derrick. ) 8 i “If we ean teach boys anon with a craft project af the south Dallas storefront station. (Below) WW] Tadesse Addonias shows his appreciation for the Dallas police Scouters. | Matias police from different cultures and ethnic groups to talk to each other instead of fighting when they're the age of these kkids, it just might keep them from killing each other when HEN 9-YEAR-OLD they're in junior high school,” ex. Robert Richmond fishes plains Officer Joe for bass in one of the lakes f Prelow, a 20-year sprawling Clements, veteran of t Scout Reservation near Dallas Police Athens, Tex., it never Department curs to him that he’s helping to prevent (DPD) and crime back home on the “mean streets” of ant, Dallas, ‘ leader for Robert, a third grader at William B. Pack 722, ‘Travis Elementary School, lives in the area a y Asis the just north of downtown Dallas known as x case with “Little Mexico.” His reason for joining Pack many vet- didn't have anything to do with crime or criminals, It was simply 80 he could By Bill Sloan ape by Dan Bryant officers join with the BSA to bring Scouting’s values to | urban youth before they succumb to negative behavior patterns and peer ' pressure. go fishing and “have fun and meet new friends.” In that respect, Robert is no different from hundreds of thousands of other Cub Scouts across the count 2 h grader at ‘Travis School, Scouting means the chance to play in a soceer league on a team sponsored by Pack ‘722, “I'm sort of a good player already,” he confides, “and it's giving me a chance to learn more about the game. José doesn't give much thought to the idea that soccer and outing are helping combat the illicit drug dealers who prey on youngsters in his and 4 Coren ae OTe TTS and especialy touches the Hives of todays lela Red M National ine Prevention Program a its ty ta age he Sk ga tool rine abr, cH Sea J Te Comer n ‘example of «way to confront the problem though ih low ent pre Officials say of all violent crime in America, Some recent "A 17-year-old oy i coniled of ling alesse eae pe . Fs oi Yoong mother and er daghe e of a schon to sta! ths fr kc ne y A young ftrs ied by astro ble ding «sopping mall cenrnttion etwaen youth gongs. yon 23,000 juvenile arrests were rocorded in -and its suburbs in 1 sproximately one every 21 ninates. Chiron es young os 10 or 12 were charged with ape, orned sso cao tht, buolery, od ron. ists the enormity ofthe poten,” ays Rob Hofmen,drcar offal servic for the Chl Ten Cun, "We tik on of he best ways 0 Kep ad rom becoming sais at 15 or isto got him int Sutin bythe tine e's or 10." Sting September 19%eran cops, Prelow knows from bitter expe ence the often futile pursuit of trying to steer | younger teen-age boys away from trouble i land into more wholesome pursuits, By then, | negative behavior patterns, reinforced by i right, and Cesar pressure, are often too well established. i Sanches, front, has DPD crime prevention specialist, Wilma { “made me see how Rockmore echoes Prelow’s sentiments, In a | important itis to show police storefront at the Frazier Courts hous- | them that somebody ing project, she explains why she volunteers i Feelly cares.” pe Being « volunteer Cob Scout leader in on inner-city Dallas aden leader for Pack 1110, ‘You have to find ways to keep these little guys off the streets now,” Officer Rockmore emphasizes, “You have to give them a little bit of time while they're young. You have to encourage them to do good things—to live up to the Law of the Pack—and recognize them for it when they do. “T know what I'm doing with these kids is worthwhile,” she says. “I know in the long, run it will eut crime in our area.” ‘This deep belief on the part of Prelow, Rockmore, and dozens of other rank-and- file Dallas police officers is the key to a new program called Partnership in Youth Grime Prevention. The innova- tive effort, lannched in early 1994, joint, project of the Cirele Ten Couneil, the Dallas Police Depart- ment, and the Dallas Youth Crime Commission. i he Dallas program emphasizes Scouting basics; packs and and go to camp. BERNE | (Above) Pack 722 Cub | Scouts Neko Reed, j Derrick Cannon, and j Mareel Moore clean up j a neighborhood yard. | (left Robert Perex and ‘other Cub Scouts enjoy © playground slide during one of the | pack’s regular meot | ings at thele neighbor i hood elementary i school. (Right) Veteran { Dallas police officer j Clarence Meclenton, j whe volunteered to ori. j help organize Pack 722, says being ‘around Cub Scouts like Emmanuel Lawrence, left, Erie Guzman, Although some of the youth involved are Boy S program's main thrust ‘younger; Cub Scout-age boys. More than 50 officers are in- volved as Gubmasters and den leaders in bringing Scouting to more than 500 inner-city kids. (The coun- cil, through all its pro- grams, serves more than 24,000 inner-city youth.) To date, one Boy Scout troop and more than 20 Cub packs have heen organized through the partner- ship. Police depart- ments in suburban Grand Prairie and Gar: Jand also are partici- pating. “Our department TS aay ten means more than keoping order at pak ‘moetings ond going on ontigs. The four mal ole ofr servag os Scour for Pack 1110 oso ae substitute fathers to smal boys who often have no othr postive mal al models. “Most of our kids live in hhomes where there's no adult mole present,” says Ofer Wilma Rockore, “Aitnogh Vm the den leader, | can’ supply the kind of one-on-one male contact these boys ore so hungry fo. have to depend on the guys who work with me for that.” ei tet hp sent rear ars hig pet fs re bes, ny Po ‘nd Jefrey Ransom have not only been ectvely involved withthe poc, but have mointsined most daily contect with its 10 members. 1s not unusuol for an officer to stop on his rounds to ask «Cub Scout, “Have you dono your homewark yet?” (¢“Isn't itt late for you tobe outside?” “They really get to know the boys on personel level” Rockmore says, “and tht makes hig difference.” ‘A pronising amateur boxer, OfcerPoge bes especially coptured ings have featured video “Aly, champ,” Cub Scouts yl es they fellow Page around, “when are you gona fight Mike Tyson?” the adulation of the Cub Scouts. Pack meet highlights of heavyweight bouts in his quest to qualify for the U.S. Olympic toam. Seonting % September 1996 troops wear uniforms, hold regular meetings, strongly endorses this program, and we're working to expand it in every way possible,” says Dailas Police Chief Ben Click. The Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops involved are truly changing the lives of young people in our inner-city neighbor- hoods,” he said, “Scouting offers training in responsibility and values that these children don’t find anywhere else, and it ean spell the difference between a decent, productive citi- zen and a lost or wasted life.” ‘The Dallas partnership contains several unique ingredients, says George Randall, BSA assistant national director of program. jetting volunteer leadership from ind vidual police officers on this large a seale is, one of the keys to the program's suecess,” he notes. “Most of the volunteers are minority officers who provide excellent role models and have become deeply involved with their Scout Randall adds that the Dallas program em- phasizes the traditional basics of Scouting, with no gimmicky additions or modifieations designed to attract urban youth. Units formed under the crime prevention part nership do the same things as other packs and troops—go to camp, wear uniforms, ad- vance in rank, hold regular meetings, and pay nominal dues, They also find plenty of opportunities for community serviee and fulfilling the time-honored Scout duty to help oth: ers, Among Pack 1110s proudest. possessions are two donated used lawn mowers, “We use them to cut grass for some of our senior citizens,” Rockmore says. “We also pick up trash around the neighborhood regularly and participate in the Clean South Dallas campaign.” The Cub Scouts are offered small incentives, such as awards for pick ing up the most trash, making good grades, doing good deeds, and bringing new recruits to den meetings. Each boy receives his uniform shirts only after attending a certain number of meetings and demonstrating that he will be an ac tive Seout. * A number of sourees have heen tapped to insure that virtually all Seouts in the program have uni- forms. “Experienced” uniforms are collected from form Scouts or their families, and new uniforms are purchased with funds donated by support organization Businesses and organizations of all sizes are helping. These range (continued on page 58)Family Tak (from page 17) {cal presence is important,” , “bul there are ways to get involved beyond that if you work during the day. Parents who plan get-togethers with friends, for example, are telling their children that friendships matter. Since being ble to moke they wot ike me, smoking fends is my fear of ‘e friends is not only desirable 3. Uhold back from criti- rejection, {bot smart, it makes sense toring other nd thei idees. 9. om relactot fo con- ‘bone up on friendship skis. 4. A busy schedule keeps This quiz measures ones aime fom having many frends. S ity and dese tomake ond, Seldom do alla $ keep tends. Simply indcte rend just to chat, ‘if you agree or disagree with 6. There are other things ‘ach statement, ‘more important thee making 1. Mast people seem to frends, have more fiends than | do. 7. When in a group, et 2: Esky away from ‘others do oll the talking. § strangers becouse I'm afraid By providing a sense of belonging ‘and peer support, friends are a bridge between the family and the outside world. “They do make a difference,” says Parrott, in the lives of unhappy oF anxious youth whom he has seen become sociable adults, Children who seem too busy to ‘make friends could be struggling to fit in with their peer group. Barly signs of this include spending most, free time alone, socializing only with younger students, and dramatic changes in home behavior. (These are deseribed in the booklet “L hope my master isn't too have a new best friend,” 58 TESTING FRIENDSHIP SKILLS One dif in a eee “Building Self-Esteem: A Guide for Parents, Schools, and Communities,” available for $6.50 from the Americ Association of School Administrator AASA Distribution Center, P.0, Box 411, Annapolis Junetion, MD 20701.) Friendship can mean taking some risk. Too much eaution can keep a child from reaching out to new—or different—people who might become friends. And ask your child if he oy she is being a true friend to those to shy to initiate a friendship. ‘We started this column with Kevin in a new junior high school. He will eventually make friends at his ne schoo!—but they won't be exactly lik the friends he left behind. Some friends are for life, thers fo only a time before drifting away in different directions. Enjoy each friendship a day at a time. As Ralph Waldo Emerson put, it, “The only way to have friend isto be a friend.” . ‘upset when he finds out I Scouting 4 September 1996 lopping Crime (from page 27) from an area dry cleaning firm that, cleans uniforms at no charge to major Dallas-based companies that help fund the program. And a group known as “Friends of the Dallas Storefronts” provides many kinds of assistance. Officers who volunteer for the pro- gram receive the same initial training. all Seouting volunteers. They also participate in monthly roundtable training sessions “We're not doing trick plays here,” says Cirele Ten Scout Executive Wil- $|liam C. Billy) Gamble. “We're not holding massive giveaways or offer- ing spedal deals, either to the kids or the leaders, This one is straight out of the BSA handbook.” ‘Ano fear’ approach ‘The eoneept behind the program began evolving in 1993 as the BSA prepared to latnch Operation First ] Class, its nationwide Urban Empha- ceived, police officers who agreed to serve as volunteer leaders were to re ceive “eomp time” for the hours they devoted to Scouting. But. for many it has beeome a labor of love, with their involvement in Scouting regularly spilling into evenings and days off Sr. Cpl. Clarence MeClenton is one example of this type of experience. A DPD veteran who has served since 1968, he is the father of four grown children, none of whom was in Seout- ing. He'remembers his reaction to Chief Click’s initial eal for volunteers and how his feelings changed ater helping organize Pack 722. “At first, T said: ‘Oh, no! P'm not sure I can handle this.’ But then T found out T really enjoy working with the kids,” he says. “Being around them made me soe how important it is to show them that somebody really cares. I find myself spending more and more time with th cause T have to, but be to.” Wilma Rockmore also remembers being “a litle skeptical” at firs “T didn’t know very mueh abut lit tle boys, and I wasn't sure how it was going to work out is been a great experience. I'l gladly come in on my day off anytime the Getting parents involved ‘Amajor objective ofthe program is to encourage parents to become in volved as volunteers. Tdeally, they will be able to eventually assume leadership roles in the new Scouting units, gradually replacing the police officers ‘There's been a high level of paren- tal support so far. And many officers also say that they hope to stay in- volved. “This program has value for the po- lice department as well as the kids,” SJoe Prelow points out "We want them to relate to us as people, not just as uniforms. The program does a lot to counter the idea that kids should be scared of the police, that all we want. to do is put them in jail “If the Cub Scout experience is a good one for our boys, we ean keep them in the program as Boy Scouts and then Explorers “We'd like to be around to wateh that happen.” 7 Dallas-based freelancer Bill Sloan is 4 frequent contributor to Seouting ‘magazine. SHOP-AT- HOME 1-888-G0-PATCH We're Here For You tsi dc, mgs anno WORK AT HOME ‘Assemble Simple Craft Products At Home! Excellent ‘Extra Income! Guoranteed! RSA ¥"505-977.200° — (ae ees cee ocae tercen eeeeig ERM ey een aac Seen) Elmina reruns an hava ong wt ELECTRON Fav UE ane Sef cortanes rat secure system aatibe, rc FREE brochure: Summit Finish Lines ‘New Adciss) 80. 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