'Teen Night' Scheduled In Greenwich On July 8

Written and submitted by the Greenwich Police Department:

Building on our relationships with community partners who serve Greenwich Youth, The Greenwich Police Department and several Greenwich Community Groups have partnered to host Teen Night on July 8th at the Arch Street Teen Center at 100 Arch Street.

Events like this in the past have been excellent at building and strengthening the Department’s relationship with Greenwich youth. Events in settings such as Teen Night will create positive interactions that positively influence how the kids perceive law enforcement.

Youth and police interactions present a unique set of challenges and opportunities. For many Greenwich youth, their first encounter with anything justice-related, whether in school, their neighborhoods, or social service settings, is with an Officer from the Greenwich Police Department. The nature and circumstances of that contact will have a significant and lasting impression on a young person.

Police officers have always been in a strong position to positively influence youth and promote positive and productive outcomes when they interact. Research finds that positive interactions with police are predictive of positive attitudes toward the police, and negative interactions are predictive of negative attitudes. The Greenwich Police Department endeavors to make sure the Officers are the example of what a 21st Century Police Department looks like.

In addition to educating and training Greenwich Police Officers on creating positive contacts with our youth, it is also essential to teach them how to effectively interact with police officers. These lessons do not always have to take place in a classroom.