Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD): Community Services Division – Charlotte, NC

Problem/Rationale: Youth from disadvantaged communities often lack positive role models and resources, leading to cycles of disadvantage, misconduct, and contact with the criminal justice system. Racial minorities and individuals with disabilities are overrepresented in the prison system, rooted in the school-to-prison pipeline. Limited access to education, health, and professional opportunities further compounds inequality and restricts upward mobility. Police officers, who are often the first point of contact in this cycle, face the challenge of maintaining safety while also serving as mentors and role models. CMPD’s Community Services Division was created to bridge this gap, fostering trust, mentorship, and positive engagement between youth and law enforcement.

Goals:

• Reduce youth arrests and racial disparities in juvenile justice involvement.
• Replace punitive responses with restorative, educational, and mentorship-based alternatives.
• Build long-term, positive relationships between police officers and youth.
• Provide leadership development, social-emotional growth, and workforce exposure to underserved youth.
• Break cycles of incarceration and create pathways to education, employment, and civic engagement.

Project Summary:
CMPD’s Community Services Division develops programs that strengthen the relationship between police officers and local youth while reducing juvenile justice involvement. Its flagship programs, the Youth Diversion Program, REACH Academy, and Youth Envision Academy, work in tandem to provide early intervention, mentorship, and career exploration opportunities.

Youth Diversion Program (est. 2012): Created to reduce disproportionate minority contact and the school-to-prison pipeline, this pre-arrest diversion program offers an alternative to prosecution for youth committing first-time misdemeanor offenses. Youth participate in up to eight hours of workshops addressing decision-making, goal setting, conflict resolution, and substance abuse, while parents attend a two-hour course on behavior redirection. Since its inception, juvenile arrests have decreased 46% (from 3,481 in 2013 to 1,851 in 2021), racial and ethnic disparities have declined 45%, and 90% of participants have not reoffended within one year.

REACH Academy (Respect, Engage, Accountability, Character, Honesty): Established in 2016, REACH builds positive relationships between police officers and youth who show early signs of risk but have not entered the justice system. The program evolved from a one-week camp to a six-week summer program and monthly booster sessions during the school year, now serving 25 male and 25 female participants. Officers mentor youth in leadership, social skills, and career exploration, with graduates eligible to apply for the Youth Envision Academy. REACH partners with Rebuilding Opportunities in Construction (ROC) and Self-Talk Consulting to provide six-week training in trades like carpentry, HVAC, and construction management. Families have reported improved behavior, leadership, and school performance among participants.

Youth Envision Academy (est. 2017): Launched with support from Bank of America and the Hugh McColl Foundation, Envision engages up to 50 youth (“Scholars”) and 15 CMPD mentors in an eight-week leadership and workforce development experience. Scholars receive a $1,500 stipend and explore four themes, Careers, Education, Recreation, and Service, through partnerships with Lowe’s Home Improvement, Atrium Health, and local colleges. They learn skilled trades, hospital operations, college admissions, and community service through Goodwill and Elevation Church’s Love Week. Post-program surveys show improved perceptions: trust in police rose from 63% to 79%, comfort speaking with officers increased from 68% to 85%, and youth belief that “police do not like people who look like me” dropped from 8% to 2%.

Engagement Strategies: 

• Youth-centered mentorship by sworn and civilian officers through consistent, relationship-based engagement.
• Pre-arrest diversion for first-time offenders emphasizing education and accountability.
• Longitudinal support, participants can progress from REACH to Envision Academy.
• Partnerships with schools, community organizations, and corporate partners (Bank of America, Lowe’s, Atrium Health, ROC, Self-Talk Consulting).
• Leadership development through career, education, recreation, and service pathways.
• Regular feedback via pre- and post-program surveys to measure perception change and impact.

Outcomes:

• Juvenile arrests decreased by 46% since 2013 (3,481 → 1,851).
• Racial and ethnic disparities decreased by 45% (3,149 → 1,720 minority arrests, 2013–2019).
• 90.7% of diverted youth did not reoffend within one year.
• REACH Academy expanded to include male and female cohorts and year-round mentorship.
• 37 REACH graduates transitioned into the Envision program.
• Envision Academy participants reported major perception shifts: trust in police +16%, belief in police care +18%, comfort contacting officers +17%.
• Dozens of graduates now attend universities including UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, NC Central, UNC Greensboro, and CPCC.