3.A. Emergent Themes for Both YP and Policing Personnel
3.A.i. Respect
Mutual respect was the most consistently named factor by YP as a fundamental cornerstone of positive interactions and relationships between YP and police. This theme, however, was far less prominent for policing personnel. Some YP offered examples of how policing personnel could engage in procedurally justice behaviors during encounters, describing the importance of police using respectful communication that demonstrates understanding and compassion for the young person's circumstances.
BG: Okay, say for instance, I'm a first time driver. I just bought me a car… But I want to do things the right way. I'm on my way to go get my permit... I have confirmation that I got my permit…and if I was to get pulled over and you… like, ‘Hey, okay, you is on your way to go get your permit. I can just give you a warning, a citation or whatever. You just go about your day. Just don't let it happen again.’”
A barrier to mutual respect noted by several YP was the belief held by adults (including police) that YP must “earn respect.”
CS: “I feel like they feel because we young, we don't [deserve] respect, like we got to earn respect before just getting it... If you're an adult, I'm going to give you respect, but if I don't get it back, it's over.”
Indeed, during interactions with YP, the burden of responsibility to model appropriate behavior and set the tone is on the adult or professional. However, while respect was on the forefront of YP’s minds, “disrespect” toward policing personnel by YP was mentioned in two focus groups of detectives and one group of patrol supervisors.
DT: “I more so avoid interacting with adolescents because of their response to situations, especially when we're involved, they tend to be more disrespectful at me, and trying to put up a fight rather than with adults, who get that we have a job to do.”
3.A.ii. Communication Skills
KB: “I noticed my generation, they don't really trust the police much at all. So, I think when they do see a cop trying to be reasonable with them, it does change their perspective a bit on how they see or view the cops in general.”
Effective police communication skills were viewed as key factors in improving police-community relations by both YP and policing personnel. In general, participants suggested police using patience, being approachable and less aggressive in their approach, and active listening can help build trust and ease tensions.
3.A.ii.a. Patience. YP stressed that difficulties police encounter on the job should not result in impatience or a dismissive attitude when interacting with citizens, regardless of their age or maturity level.
KP: “Patience meaning, I understand you work every day. You deal with a lot of suspects and everything like that, but that doesn't mean for you to have a bad day or an attitude that you could just talk to me any kind of way... you gotta be patient with me because you don't know what type of day I had going on myself… You can't just be jumping up there and thinking because you have a badge that, ‘Yeah, I said get out!’… You can't do that bro. Patience.”
Patrol and community officers voiced similar thoughts, PA: “The number one skill I could think of over the years is just basically being patient with them and just allowing them to speak and be heard.”
Friendly, Calm Demeanor. Many YP recommended police adopt a friendly and approachable demeanor. They suggested that policing personnel should not be overly serious or aggressive but, rather (when possible), create a comfortable atmosphere by using humor, offering a smile, and being welcoming. A friendly approach can help ease tension and build rapport (Sweeney, 2022).
DK: “…that's their job, lock people up and stop crime. But, if you can, be cool with the youth or younger people you stop. Like when the police sit on the corner… they see kids walking by, [they] could say, ‘Good morning… how your day going?” Start a little conversation with them, but in a friendly way.”
DM: “With a conversation, you don't want to scare somebody… throw out a little joke. ‘Hey, this was wrong, but hey, come on now, you can do better than that. Come on.’ Don't come off as serious, because when you come off as serious, that's when it becomes bad. That's when people get scared. But if you're more approachable, more friendly, ‘Yeah, I'm happy.’ ‘Cool.’ Smile.”
Policing personnel also felt they benefited from engaging in friendlier, less charged interactions with YP.
AV: “Sometimes [friendliness] it helps you like, ‘Oh, you're cool,’ I mean I don't know how many fist bumps I got from the corner boys, and the young kids see that. But if I'm constantly coming around like, ‘Ahh! [threatening tone]’…they start to know your name. You make a presence… [Youth] capture all that stuff… it goes into the memory bank, and it's kind of like it spreads to their friends… It's all about what you do.”
3.A.ii.b. Listen.There was a consensus among YP and policing personnel that police asking clarifying questions and actively listening during interactions was essential.
ML: “Listen more to what we say... Actually pursue what we say and try to do our way for once. Try. You never know until you try… It's like they never try us out. They always put us down. I feel like if they listen to us, and we all come together... I feel like our city can be way better.”
One young person noted how, while some interactions may not be resolved through conversation, it is important to start a dialogue before acting and becoming aggressive.
ME: “I would just say don't straight up get to the aggression part. Most cops be aggressive and don't know how to talk to people. I feel like all things are not meant to be talked about but some things you can resolve with the conversation... we was taught you get what you give.”
Paralleling these notes, a detective described how their experiences as a parent have guided their professional behavior with YP.
AB: “When we're dealing with the youth, we should also be able to listen. I think a lot of times, just even I’m thinking about me as a mom or my child–I have to listen to him. It may sound crazy, or you want to just jump right in and cut them off.”
3.A.iii. Empathize with and Understand YP
Multiple YP argued that police should take time to understand community members’ perspectives and experiences. One young person brought up how police reflecting upon relationships with their own children could help them engage in meaningful dialogue with YP. RU: “What would you do if your son was right there? That's what [police] need to start thinking about.” And other YP wanted police to work toward truly empathizing with them.
JA: “I wish [police] knew everything we going through… what's going on at home, how hard we got to work, and stuff like that. Their whole perspective would change. Because if they walked a mile in our shoes, they'd be like, ‘Oh, nah. I feel sorry for this person, because he really out here trying to help his family, and at the same time going to school, doing the right thing, and… he got to have these bad experiences with police officers.’ It's already hard enough being a teen in [City], like people getting shot left and right. We can't even go outside and play no more.”
Several adolescents emphasized the importance of police considering the challenges and hardships many young individuals face, ranging from individual and family mental health issues, to community issues like gun violence and lead poisoning crises, and societal issues like the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. And the YP’s suggestions match research findings demonstrating that empathy improves interactions (Bove, 2019; Rumble et al., 2010).
ER: “Be more understanding, be more patient… some of these kids are in and out of the jail system. They have some rough lives at home… The lead crisis… mental illness, a lot of things are going on. And the pandemic is a huge one too… So just be understanding. Just know where you are. [City] has a lot going on already.”
3.A.iii.a. Avoid Assumptions and Stereotyping.
SN: “We're all not criminals. We're all not selling drugs. We're all not shooting people. We're just normal people trying to get through life. They don't really know how hard it is... We all have feelings... But it feel like [police] don't really understand that. They assume that you are bad inside.”
YP want policing personnel to challenge assumptions they hold about Black people. They emphasized that assumptions can lead to unfair treatment and misunderstandings for Black YP in particular. They note that instead, police should take time to engage with YP, ask questions, and gather information before making judgments.
Several policing personnel demonstrated awareness of assumptions they make about Black YP. One individual described her own internal process of how expectations about YP’s behaviors impact police reactions. Such recognition should be a goal of US policing trainings, given individual’s susceptibility to racial bias (Eberhardt, 2020).
AB: “We don't know what [adolescents] deal with. You know they could've saw someone–their relative–get killed, or they could have been raped themselves or different things that make them freak out…sometimes it's deeper than what you know.”
3.A.iv. Engage YP in Non-Enforcement Contexts
YP described wanting to see police be more active in non-enforcement contexts. They noted that a more visible and friendly police presence can foster positive relationships and help dispel negative stereotypes.
CC: “Something for the kids to do at the neighborhood center or the rental… [Once] they had horses come out and the kids could touch the horses or get on them. And they have grill, music, and everybody just having a good time with the police.”
They also recommended police engage community members early in their life course. Others noted that when police make reasonable efforts to engage with them, it can positively influence their perception of law enforcement.
Police (especially those working patrol) were interested in having more opportunities to get to know YP in the community.
PS: “It would be helpful if we could interact with [youth] before we're being called to the locations. Because nine times out of 10 when we're interacting with them, it's not a positive engagement... Situations in which we interact with them initially sometimes can help overall.”
3.A.iv.a. Events. YP thought community events could promote better police-young person relationships. Their suggestions encompassed a range of activities and approaches, such as picnics, barbecues, and gatherings where YP can engage with police in a non-threatening setting. Youth also recommended that police departments organize community seminars and pop-up events.
DW: “I feel like you need events out here where it's like, maybe the police want to challenge the civilians in [sports]… [or] water balloon fights. That's the type of thing kids be wanting to do in the city for real. Or even paintballing with the police. Laser tagging... I guess people here really be wanting to see if police can have fun too instead of always being serious… [And] police can really get a good understanding. They might see that same person again and might be able to help them out, just because of events. ‘Oh yeah, I know him. He a good kid.’”
A detective described participating and benefitting from a “program… where we do get to sit down with adolescents for the day, and hear about their experiences of police, and talk to them, one on one.” [DT]. Encouraging police to be more involved in the community and actively participating in community outreach is seen as a way to establish better relationships.
<INSERT FIGURE 1 ABOUT HERE>
3.B. YP Only
3.B.i. Less Use of Force
JA: “[I want police who] don't abuse they power, that's really genuine, for real. Like they come to your neighborhood. They help out. They protect and not trying to make people in fear.”
Several YP expressed frustration and upset concerning with the use of excessive force by the police, particularly the use of firearms (e.g., DC: “Put the guns down…They shoot too many bullets”). Most participants with this perspective had experienced direct police violence. YP questioned the need for such violence and suggested alternative methods of dealing with confrontations. For instance, YP suggested that police should aim to de-escalate situations and not immediately resort to aggressive tactics or weapons. “Make me feel comfortable, knowing I'm going to be able to pull off and go home to my family. Come with a calm, collected, comfortable [stance].” [ML]
CS: “[Police] should give [YP] more of a talk then roughing them up with the handcuffs. They should talk them through what they doing and why they doing it. And make the kids understand instead of chasing them and scaring them away. They need to be more calm so everybody can remain calm.
3.B.ii. Cultural Sensitivity and Anti-Racism
Although not explicitly mentioned, a suggestion to be culturally sensitive was implied by YP. Namely, YP wanted policing personnel to be aware of cultural differences and to be anti-racist. Said BG, “We need new [police], new better ones that actually care about specifically Black people.” Others thought cultural sensitivity needed to extend to intersectional identifiers.
DC: “Stop talking to them like they're grown. They're still kids… I can understand [if an adolescent] put their hands on you, then that's when you protect yourself, but not shoot them. They need to learn that everybody got issues, even YP... [Police need to] learn how to treat a Black man.”
See and Promote the Positive Things YP Do
Aligning with best practices for educators and caregivers and others who work with YP (Carr et al., 2002; Henderlong & Lepper, 2002), some YP noted that policing personnel, “need to listen to us and see the positive things that we do instead of just thinking that we just doing negative things or catching us when we are doing negative things” [TT]. Ultimately, ‘catching’ YP doing good is advised by YP and science alike (Carr et al., 2002; Henderlong & Lepper, 2002).
3.B.iii. Nothing
“Nothing. The police can't do nothing for us” [KY]. Some YP have been so traumatized and disheartened by their experiences with policing personnel that they presented with a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. They did not see a future with improved police-youth relations.
ME: “Police… already has an image. As a Black kid, I’ll think if you trying to come lock me up, you're trying to hurt me. You're going to shoot me because of what been going around the world. What been going around on social media… that's the picture we're stuck on… I don't trust police officers.”
MK: “I don't think [police] could do a better job… the YP already have it in their mind, ‘Fuck the police. What they going to do for us? They going to send us to jail… Nothing else they going to do.’”
3.C. Police Only
3.C.i. Positive Mindset Overall
During discussions with policing personnel, they described wanting to serve as role models and highlighted the importance of adopting a positive mindset.
SR: “I realize that I have to have a positive attitude, even though some days I have bad days. But I have to make a conscious decision… what I do can possibly affect not just myself, but many others that I come in contact with. So you just gotta… understand your attitude and your actions will affect someone else, whether you know it or not… try to keep a positive attitude, even when I'm in a negative situation.”
This Black female sergeant and others also mentioned the essential role of police morals and values for fostering effective community interactions (Blumberg et al., 2018; Cordner, 2014; Cordner, 2023).
3.C.ii. Language Choice with YP
Policing personnel emphasized the importance of police communication skills including vocabulary and semantics. They discussed developmental differences in what language could or should be used with YP, noting legal jargon might be unfamiliar to many civilians. Police further described language selection was essential to building trust and rapport with YP in the community.
DF: “Really, they might not understand the words, or they just don't have enough cognitive ability at that point in their development to understand what you're trying to say. A 17 year old might understand what the word “disorderly” means, whereas a 5 year old is not going to understand that… Making sure that the language that you use that you use is something that they can understand… Police, we tend to use certain jargon because it's part of (you know the 10-codes), the stuff that we use.”
One sergeant noted some communications skills developed during trainings have promoted better interactions with YP saying, “It's almost like you have to be like skilled in motivational interviewing to get kids to open up sometimes trying to be really strategic in those conversations” [PP].