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Attoiney Baviu Cooliuge
}anuaiy 28, 2u14

}uuge Steven Teske of Clayton
County, ueoigia iecently publisheu
an op-eu in !"#$%&'$ !")*&+$
,%-./01*&.% 23+41%5$ which lays out
the benefits of having a coopeiative
agieement to to ieuuce the numbei
of school aiiests. Clayton was the
fiist county in the countiy to auopt
what is now calleu the Positive
Stuuent Engagement Nouel foi
School Policing, anu since the
measuie's inuuction in 2uu4, aiiests
in local schools have gone uown by
8S peicent.

Teske feels, anu many agiee, that PSENSP is much moie effective than stanuaiu zeio
toleiance policies uphelu by the majoiity of school uistiicts, which aie flaweu not in
theoiy but in piactice. While the intentions of such policies aie puie, in application
they enu up being ovei bioau anu actually causing moie haim than goou. Nost
euucatois anu law enfoiceis equate zeio toleiance with immeuiate suspension,
expulsion, oi aiiest, without any consiueiation of the seveiity of the ciime. In this
way, officeis anu auministiatois fail to uistinguish between immatuie behavioi of
an auolescent anu uelinquent behavioi of a ciiminal minu. As a iesult, couits get
oveiciowueu anu iesouices that shoulu be ieseiveu foi actually uangeious cases
enu up getting uiveiteu.

0n the othei hanu, in Clayton County's mouel, law enfoicement makes a conceiteu
effoit to establish coopeiative, tiusting ielationships with stuuents. Stuuents
pioviue police officeis with moie infoimation willingly, anu a highei numbei of
ciimes aie pieventeu anu solveu. Auults iespect the fact that teenagei's biains aie
still unuei neuiological constiuction, anu they shoulu be shielueu fiom aiiest foi
ceitain misuemeanoi offenses which aie typical of youth behavioi as theii capacity
to possess a ciiminal minu is uiminisheu. 0nly in paiticulai cases when theie is
sufficient ieason to suspect that an offense is masking a moie seiious unueilying
issue will haishei punishments, tieatments, oi peiious of supeivision be
consiueieu. Teske explains that the policy has been effective because euucatois have
finally stoppeu auuiessing pioblems in the same minuset that cieateu them. As he
puts it, if the only tool you have at youi uisposal is a cop, eveiy pioblem becomes a
ciime.


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