Thomas MacMillan Photo
Charles Henderson (right) and Travis Ingram (next) share what they learned.
As they hit their middle teens, boys in Newhallville stop hanging at the playground and start hanging on the corners. That’s a warning flag, said Lt. Thaddeus Reddish, the district’s top cop.
It means the kids aren’t playing in the park anymore. They’re bored on the corners and might be headed for trouble. With nothing to do, and under the influence of older teens, the kids can learn to fear and distrust cops and get involved in criminal activity.
A month ago, Lt. Reddish and several other Newhallville cops started getting together with 10 such teens twice a week to try to change that trajectory. On Monday afternoon, the teens and cops celebrated their time together and their newfound mutual understanding over wings and macaroni and cheese at the Lincoln-Bassett School.
The month of meetings were part of an grant-funded initiative called the Youth and Police Intervention Program. It’s a program run in communities nationwide, organized by the North American Family Institute (NAFI).
For four weeks, 10 Newhallville boys between 14 and 15 years old got together twice a week with local patrol cops, earning a $100 stipend. Last week, the group went to a New Britain Rock Cats baseball game.
“Now they know each other,” Chief Frank Limon (center, in photo) said of cops and kids. That’s one of the main objectives of the program, he said. The teens need to be “put back on the right path,” and the program helps “show them that we care about them.”
The chief called the Newhallville program a success, one that he’d like to bring next to the Dwight neighborhood.
It’s an “opportunity to see the officers beyond the uniform,” said Kristen Taylor (at right in photo), who works for NAFI.
In the cafeteria at Lincoln-Bassett, Taylor congratulated the teens on their accomplishments before doling out certificates to them.
Chief Limon took the opportunity to instill a three-part message: Work hard; stay out of trouble; achieve education.
Lt. Reddish told the group it has been a pleasure to work with them. He said the relationship is not over. “Always feel free to come talk to us,” he said. “We’re not here to chase you around.”
He reminded the teens that they often ask him if he has any kids. “I have you guys.”
Invited to share what they learned, Travis Ingram offered: “Police are here to protect you.”
Charles Henderson said he learned not to be in the game.
Other lessons poured out, as the teens came to stand next to the cops:
“Most people that sell drugs don’t make it out of the hood.”
“Being in the game is not cool.”
“Cops are not here to arrest you.”
“Cops are not as bad as I thought you were,” said James Harris, prompting a round of applause.
“The program, to me, it worked,” said mom Trina Shealy later, after the teens accepted their certificates and checks for $100. She said her son Brandon (pictured) is missing fewer days at Hillhouse High than he was a month ago. “He’s hanging out with a little more positive people.”
Officer Ryan McFarland, one of the cops in the program, said he’s seen a change too. The kids now call out to him on the street, strike up conversation, where before they might have ignored him or even run away.
Later, as Lt. Reddish ate mac and cheese with some of his new teenage buddies, he said the celebration is not the end. “We’re going to keep this going on our own,” he said. The grant money has run out, but Reddish said he and other Newhallville officers are committed to keeping the activities happening. They’re working on a trip to World Wrestling Entertainment and to the Basketball Hall of Fame.