Police departments must work tirelessly to find alternative strategies for fighting crime and enhancing public safety. Constantly striving to be more effective in their mission and continually faced with new challenges, the Prince George’s County (Md.) Police Department recognizes the need to focus on youth in the community.
Like other departments throughout the country who struggle to handle youth crimes and gang involvement, the Prince George’s County Police Department continually strives to provide positive role models and constructive outlets for the youth in their community with the hope that alternatives to engaging in crime will prevail.
This Maryland police department, located on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., recently conducted its second annual Youth Explosion at the Tabernacle Church in Laurel, Md. With the strong support of Bishop Randolph Gurley and members of the church, the occasion proved to be a huge success. The event highlighted anti-gang, anti-crime initiatives and youth programs that included the Police Athletic League and the Police Explorers.
As an important outreach effort to the youth of Prince George’s County by the police department, the Police Explorers provide young people between the ages of 14–20 an idea of real police work. They gain a comprehensive understanding of the nature of the job that enables them to become better citizens and more educated members of society. They learn about the law, criminal procedures and the police department as a whole. In addition, they’re better equipped to make informed decisions as voters and members of juries.
“We take our Explorers on ride-along with officers as they work; use them as youth ambassadors at community events; and mentor them by encouraging high academic achievement and community participation. Of course, we would like to see our Explorers pursue a career in criminal justice, but we also see positive results even if they pursue other careers,” Major Andrew Ellis said. Ellis was a Police Explorer as a youth. “I would never have considered a career as a police officer if I had not been a Police Explorer in high school,” he said.
The Youth Explosion event announced youth initiatives. They sought to have as many youth as possible attend. The event began with a competitive basketball game, with police officers against members of the Police Explorer program. “It allows us to humanize the police department and let the community know we are citizens just like they are. It allows us to put a face on police officers,” said Lt. Terence Sheppard, who’s the assistant commander of the Community Services Division.
Patrice Jones, a local singer, participated in the event. She has been in the music business for the past 17 years and writes songs and performs at local venues. She provided inspiration to the youth through her music and sang several songs from her upcoming album due to be released soon. With a substantial amount of proven personal accomplishment, she demonstrated to the young people in attendance that they, too, could be rising stars.
Syce The Hit Maker, a hip-hop artist, was also in attendance and entertained the youth. He grew up listening to his dad sing gospel in the church and was influenced by music in a positive way. Through his music, he also provided positive inspiration to the community youth. Double T, a Latino hip-hop artist, along with an elementary school step team from Washington, D.C., also participated in the event.
The Prince George’s County Police Rhythm and Blues Band performed on this occasion. Many in the community don’t realize that the department has a band comprised of officers and civilian employees. Some of the musicians are classically trained.
“We never realized the depths of the musicianship within the department. This is something we do to reach out to the community—to a lot of different people, ethnic groups and ages. Music is something you take with you throughout your life. That’s why it works so well—music is the same for everybody aside from ethnicity,” said Capt. Robert Gibson, the highest ranking officer in the band.
“It shows we’re as much a part of the community as anyone else,” Sheppard added.
Through music, youth can be encouraged to find something they are passionate about, whether it's music, art or some other constructive endeavor to pursue as a goal. “If they can be inspired by listening to cops who can play music and inspire them to go home and pick up something constructive, then we’ve done our job,” Gibson said.
Approximately 300–400 people attended this event. It demonstrated the belief that by working cooperatively and in partnership with youth, communities and local businesses, positive change is possible. “We have good people here doing the rights things. We are so proud of our youth. We will continue to focus on our young men and women because they are our future leaders,” Chief Roberto Hylton said.
“We put on an event that was geared toward the community. We had our Motor Unit, Canine Unit and Aviation Unit there. It puts a face to what we do. A lot of times, the community doesn’t see us beyond the uniform,” Sheppard said. “The equipment that these specialty units use grabs the attention of youth. This gives us the opportunity to speak with them about staying in school, of obeying their parents and of maintain healthy habits. It also lets us promote the police department as a possible career choice,” Ellis said.
Though many police departments may not have considered engaging in an event of this type, for Prince George’s County, it proved a success. Food was donated, prizes were distributed and the goal was to impact every part of the county with a positive message, constructive activities and some fun included.
“We’ve been trying to do creative and proactive police work for some time, and this is another arm of our creative and proactive approach. The reaction from officers inside the department and the church and the community was so positive and well received. We can’t be anything but happy with the outcome,” Sheppard said.
The Prince George’s County PD serves as an exemplary model of a department that’s set the tone for other departments throughout the nation to potentially follow suit with a positive approach to reaching out to the youths in their communities.