Young Adult Police Commission

Description

The Young Adult Police Commission (YAPC) is a youth advisory board that is conducted in partnership with the City of Richmond Public Schools and the Richmond Police Department. This board was created by Chief Police in 2010, to build a better relationship between the Richmond Police Department and the youth in the City of Richmond. There are twenty youth currently sitting on the board representing every high school in the city. To join the board, students must be in the 11th or 12th grade and be recommended by the school principal and the Richmond Police School Resource Officers. Once students are nominated, they have an interview with sitting members on the board and must be selected. Once they are selected, they are sworn in by the city Clerk’s Office.

Purpose

The focus of the Young Adult Police Commission is to give a voice to the youth of the city about issues that affect them and provide opportunities for youth to partner with police on problem solving strategies and discuss policing in general to give them a better understanding of what the police department does. They are expected to attend weekly meetings from September through May. Transportation is provided by the School Resource Officer that works in their school. Youths are often faced with challenges and choices that can place them in jeopardy or that can lead them to an undesirable future. With this commission we will develop a better understanding of these challenges and initiate some problem solving strategies. They created their own mission statement to describe their goals: WE SERVE THE COMMUNITY WE ARE STUDENTS MAKING STRIDES TO IMPROVE OUR SCHOOLS AND NEIGHBORHOODS. WE ARE DEDICATED TO BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN OUR GENERATION AND LAW ENFORCEMENT.

Scope

The Young Adult Police Commission meetings help them with the following

• Life skills
• Career building skills
• College skills
• Social skills
• Venues for their peers to have a voice

They organize many events throughout the year to include (but not limited to)

• Poetry Slams (Spoken Word)
• Board of Education discussions
• Teen Forums
• Town Hall Meetings

For further information, please call Sgt. Coretta Monts at (804) 646-6774 or email RPDCares@richmondgov.com