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<br />4a <br /> <br />PROJECT NARRATIVE <br />JUVENILE GANG OFFICER <br /> <br />Criminal juvenile gangs continue to be a very real problem for citizens and law <br />enforcement of Paris, Texas. The inception of this grant two years ago has <br />enabled us to make significant headway in the analysis of at-risk youth, <br />developing criteria for determining gang members, and assigning an officer to <br />deal specifically with juvenile crime and gang activities. The continuation of this <br />grant is vital to the further development of our juvenile program and our ability to <br />deter gang activity. During the past two years we have developed programs that <br />offer alternatives to the gang lifestyle, one on one counseling with at risk <br />children, and the enforcement of juvenile laws as they pertain to gang activity. <br /> <br />Of the two thousand four hundred two (2,402) arrests made during 1996 by the <br />Paris Police Department, four hundred thirty-nine (439) were of juvenile <br />offenders. Seventy-two (72) of the four hundred thirty-nine (439) arrests in 1996 <br />were for felony offenses. These offenses included, but are not limited to, <br />robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, sexual assault, and narcotics violations. <br /> <br />According to the Lamar County Juvenile Probation Office, the City of Paris has a <br />population of twenty-five thousand four hundred ninety-six (25,496) people. The <br />population of all school-age children in Paris is four thousand two hundred <br />twenty-five (4,225). The population of children ages 10 to 16 is two thousand four <br />hundred seventy-five (2,475). <br /> <br />The Juvenile/Gang Officer provided for by this grant is the main resource used by <br />this department to address the problem of juvenile crime as it pertains to gang <br />activity in the City of Paris. This officer works with other members of the Police <br />Department, school teachers, school administrators, and other community <br />groups to combat the problem of gang activity in our city. Some examples of the <br />groups that the Juvenile/Gang officer works with are listed below: <br /> <br />Police Athletic League of Paris, Inc. School Resource Officers <br />Drug Abuse Resistance Education Officer <br />Community Oriented Police Officers <br />Crime Prevention Officer <br />Boys Club <br />Boy Scouts <br />Lamar County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Program <br />Paris Independent School District <br />