1998-017-GRANT APPLICATION-JUVENILE OFFICER-JUVENILE GANG OFFICER

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SUMMARIZATION OF PROJECT This proposed grant project consists of the funding for one full time police officer whose sole responsibilities will be devoted to fighting the existence of criminal street gangs. The officer will work with every available resource to assist in this task. The target population in our program are juveniles aged 10 to 16. According to the Paris Independent School District, there are two thousand seven hundred and two (2,702) juveniles between the ages of 10 and 16 in the City of Paris. During the coming year the Juvenile /Gang Officer will continue to work with the Lamar County Juvenile Probation Department and the Northeast Texas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse to provide counseling to "at risk" youth and their families. This officer will also continue to work with the Police Athletic League of Paris and the Boys Club to provide a positive alternative to the gang lifestyle. The Juvenile /Gang Officer will continue to educate parents and others on the warning signs of gang activity. We feel that this will allow the parents, teachers, and others to help us deal with our gang problem more effectively. We will also continue to teach the G.R.E.A.T. curriculum to the students in our middle schools. Since the development of gang identification criteria, we feel that we have a more accurate view of total gang membership as it correlates to reported criminal activities and juvenile arrests. This information, along with public feedback, will help us to determine the effectiveness of this program.