City of St. Pete and St. Pete Police launch new program to reduce juvenile crime

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – The St. Petersburg Police Department and the City of St. Pete are launching a new program to reduce juvenile delinquency and assist teens who have already committed nonviolent crimes.

St. Pete police said they see an increase in crime among young people during the summer.

Kim King is the mother of a pre-teen granddaughter and believes that juvenile crime increases during the summer because children are out of school and have nothing to do to pass the time.

“It’s kind of scary and sad because I think back to when we were teenagers and kids today. They just don’t go outside and have nothing to do and play or stuff like that,” King said.

Now the St. Petersburg police are launching a new program aimed at preventing young people from repeating crimes.

“We cannot solve this problem by making arrests, because we can continue to make arrests. But if the kids out there continue to commit these crimes, we will enter a vicious cycle,” said St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway.

Program leaders said early intervention is key to keeping youth away from criminal activity.

When a teen is charged with a nonviolent crime, the city’s new Community Impact and Safety Liaison Officer will contact the teen’s family to evaluate the teen and recommend individualized care, resources and therapy services.

“We’re going to look at the four main issues that we know these kids are going through. Do they need welfare, do they need food, do they need mental health help and the main thing we hear is that a lot of these kids are getting arrested for smoking marijuana,” Holloway said.

Liaison Lisa Wheeler-Bowman is convinced that the program will have a lasting impact on the children.

“I’ve been talking to young people for a long time and trying to make them understand that their choices have consequences. And that’s exactly what I teach them,” Wheeler-Bowman said.

Officials said the teenager will still face charges but will also be given assistance to prevent him from committing further crimes.

“What can we do better? And this is one way to make our streets safer and also help our youth in difficult times,” Holloway said.