Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Community Programs

Reaching Out to the Community and Providing Services for Youth and Young Adults. CMPD offers a variety of programs that engage the diverse community we serve. Below is a list of programs:

Community Services Youth Programs Referral: Are you looking for programming for your child related to sports or team building, summer camps, mentoring, developing positive self-esteem, academic support, mental health, or a combination of any of these? Please fill out the referral form online, and one of our community engagement specialists will contact you about the programs we offer.

COPS & Kids: Building on the success of COPS & Barbers, COPS & Kids moves the dialogue into the school system to engage with students in high school. The purpose is to develop more meaningful partner-ships with youth, educate youth about their rights and responsibilities as citizens, demonstrate positive inter-actions with police, address common misconceptions, and dispel common stereotypes. Events have been held in all Charlotte-Mecklenburg high schools, reaching thousands of students.

Youth Diversion Program: The CMPD pro-vides diversion opportunities for first time juvenile offenders by providing an alternative to arrest, while maintaining accountability for delinquent acts and providing appropriate supports to redirect behavior. Youth ages 10-17 who commit lower level, misdemeanor offenses participate in up to 8 hours of interpersonal skills workshops designed to address specific areas of concern such as decision-making, risk taking, goal setting, conflict resolution, academic achievement, and substance abuse, as indicated by an assessment tool. Parent/guardians of the referred youth are required to participate in a 2-hour workshop designed to assist them in understanding and redirecting their child's behavior. Participation is voluntary but if the referred youth refuses to participate, the original charges may be filed against them.

REACH OUT (Respect Engage Accountability Character Honesty Officers Understanding Teens): REACH OUT is a collaborative effort of the CMPD, Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, and Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice to provide the necessary services and resources to effectively and positively change the lives of selected youthful offenders. The components of REACH OUT include:

-Youthful Offender, targets 16-21 year old individuals post-arrest and offers life skills pro-grams, interview skills, job placement, and mentoring by law enforcement officers.

-Teen Engagement and Mentorship (TEAM), pairs CMPD officers, trained as mentors, with teens in the communities where they serve. Teens are engaged by officers through voluntary contact at magnet locations for crime.

-Jail North, provides life skills programming while participants are incarcerated and pairs them with

COPS & Kids Learn Spanish: Building on the success of COPS & Barbers, COPS & Kids Learn Spanish builds stronger relationships and better communication