Detroit – Young people got a rare chance to put police chiefs on the spot at the second annual Youth and Police Chiefs Forum, an event focused on building relationships between youth and law enforcement. Organizers said no question was off-limits.
“We encourage the tough questions,” Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren told the crowd.
Members of the Youth Advisory Panel jumped right in, raising concerns about “teen takeovers” downtown.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said teens are coming from across Metro Detroit, and the city plans to respond with new summer programming.
“I got teens coming from Farmington Hills, Bloomfield Hills, they’re coming all over,” Bettison said. “This year we’re going to have ‘Occupy the Summer’ to create spaces not just downtown but through the city of Detroit.”
But 16-year-old Cameron Lewis Williams said young people want action, not words.
“We don’t want to hear any promises,” he said. “Show us what you can do through action.”
Cameron and his father, Douglas Williams, attended the forum, hoping the conversation encourages teens to see leadership and law enforcement differently.
“I think it would be helpful to the city to give people like us [a chance] to be exposed to leadership roles and law enforcement,” Cameron said, “because with stuff going on now”
Other questions were just as direct. The panel referenced the recent kidnapping of a young girl in Hamtramck. She has since been rescued and is OK. The panel asked what chiefs are doing to keep kids safe.
Inkster Police Chief Tamika Jenkins said officers are increasing visibility around schools and bus stops.
“We have our officers patrol the bus stops and the areas of the schools, when they arrive and leaving,” Jenkins said.
Parents said the forum helps young people speak up and broaden their view of their role in the community.
“I’d like to think there is a little bit of influence that not only his own parents play but even the community at large,” Douglas Williams said. “So we’re going to get our little knowledge and improvement here and see where it takes us forward.”