Transcript HARTFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT TRUANCY REDUCTION PILOT PROGRAM

HARTFORD POLICE
DEPARTMENT
TRUANCY REDUCTION
PILOT PROGRAM
Truancy Unit
The Hartford Police Department Truancy
Reduction Program was formed under the
leadership of Chief Daryl K. Roberts.
The Truancy Unit is part of the Juvenile
Investigative Division and was tasked with
developing a truancy model for the police
department.
Truancy Overview
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Truancy has been linked to
delinquent behavior in many national
studies.
The national Center for School
Engagement reported a significant
connection between truancy and
juvenile delinquency.
Truancy and Delinquency
Young people who skip school also engage
in a number of risky behaviors. Adolescent
Health Survey data show school problems,
including truancy, to be related to weapon
related violence, suicidal thoughts and
attempts, and early sexual intercourse.
The effects hold for the population in
general, and for almost every combination
of ethnic group and risk factor (Blum et
al., 2000)1.
1Blum,
R.W, T. Beuhring & P.M. Rienehart. (2000). Protecting teens: Beyond race, income and family
structure. Minneapolis, MN: Center for Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota.
Juvenile Investigative Division
Truancy Unit
Police Case Managers
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Commander:
Supervisor:
Supervisor:
Detective:
Detective:
Officer:
Officer:
Liaison:
Lieutenant Tedeschi
Sergeant Eisele
Sergeant Hightower
Dubose-Watson
Gogins
Mordasiewicz
Jimenez
Ms. J. Bethea
Truancy Unit Operational
Component
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Commander JID
Lieutenant Mark J. Tedeschi
Supervisors
Sergeant Matt Eisele
Sergeant Emory Hightower
Truancy Detectives
Detective Cheryl Gogins
Detective Francis Dubose-Watson
Truancy Unit Operational
Component Cont.
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Truancy Officers
Officer Nicole Mordasiewicz
Officer Ivy Jimenez
Truancy Liaison Person
Ms. Jacqueline Bethea
JID Detectives
Truancy Unit Administrative
Component
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Public Information Officer
Nancy Mulroy
Community Relations Specialist
Richard LeGrier
Board of Education Liaison
Andrea Comer
Truancy Reduction Pilot Program
Hierarchy Chart
Chief Roberts
A/C McKoy
LT. Tedeschi
SGT. Eisele
SGT. Hightower
PIO Mulroy
CRS LeGrier
BOE Comer
Weaver HS
Hartford Public HS
Fox Middle School
Quirk Middle School
Detective Gogins
Detective
Dubose-Watson
Detective
Dubose-Watson
Officer
Mordasiewicz
Barnard-Brown
Elementary
Milner Elementary
Detective Gogins
Officer Jimenez
Ms. Bethea
Pilot Program Inception
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Truancy Reduction Pilot Program
initiated on February 13, 2007
Truancy Reduction Pilot Program trial
stage ended on June 22, 2007
Truancy Corporate Sponsorship
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The Travelers Connecticut Foundation
provided funding for HPD’s Truancy
Reduction program
$150,000 was committed to fund the
Truancy Program
Truancy Definition
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Truant: A student who has four (4)
or more unexcused absences from
school in any one month or ten or
more unexcused absences in a
school year
Habitually Truant: A student who
has twenty (20) or more unexcused
absences in a school year
Pilot Program Tracking
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One hundred-ten students were
selected to participate in the pilot
program
Seventy-three students completed
pilot program Active Track
Thirty-seven students referred during
the program Inactive Track
Pilot Program
Successes/Outcomes
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79.4% attendance improvement for
all actively tracked students
Unexcused absences were reduced
by 863 days
Preventative Truancy Loss and
Overall savings of $71,024.90
Pilot Program
Successes/Outcomes
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63% attendance improvement of
participating students
There was a 41% reduction in
unexcused absences
Attendance was increased by an
average of 11 days per student
Program Incentives
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Levels 1 – 4
• 30 day reward –
Sally’s Fish House
• 60 day reward –
Concert and Theater Tickets
• 90 day reward –
Bowl–A-Rama
• 120 day reward – Lake Compounce and
Award Ceremony
CompStat Model:
Five Basic Principles
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Specific Objectives
Operational and Administrative
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Timely and Accurate Data Collection
Truancy Reduction Application Computer System TRACS
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Effective Strategies
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Implementing Work Effort
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Assessment and Follow-up
Three Stage Process
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Phase I: Truancy Reduction Pilot
Program
Phase II: Truancy Reduction
Program Summer School Initiative
Phase III: Truancy Reduction
Program full academic year 2007/08
Attendance Improvement by
Student
Attendance Improvement by Student
Table 1
15
Students
Improved
Require Additional Intervention
58
Students
The Truancy Reduction Pilot Program increased attendance of
participating students by 79.4%.
Absence Reduction Rate
Truancy Reduction Pilot Program
Table 2
1196 Absences
2059 Absences
Pre-Police Intervention
Post-Police Intervention
The Truancy Reduction Pilot Program reduced unexcused absences of participating
students by 41%.
Pilot Program Schools
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Thirman L. Milner Elementary School
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Barnard Brown Elementary School
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Quirk Middle School
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Fox Middle School
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Hartford Public High School
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Weaver High School
Preventative Truancy Loss and
Overall Savings (PTL/OS)
School
Predays
Daily Cost
Total
Postdays
Daily
Cost
Total
PTL/OS
Milner
321
$82.30
$26,418.30
245
$82.30
$20,163.50
$6,254.80
Brown
347
$82.30
$28,558.10
162
$82.30
$13,332.60
$15,225.50
Quirk
610
$82.30
$50,203.00
385
$82.30
$31,685.50
$18,517.50
Fox
232
$82.30
$19,093.60
148
$82.30
$12,180.40
$6,913.20
HPHS
289
$82.30
$23,754.70
104
$82.30
$8,559.20
$15,225.50
Weaver
260
$82.30
$21,398.00
152
$82.30
$12,509.60
$8,888.40
2059
$82.30
$169,455.70
1196
$82.30
$98,430.80
$71,024.90
Total
Proposals and Recommendations
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Include HPD School Crossing Guards
Improve communications between
police and school
Maintain parental involvement
Develop consortium of police, school,
social service and community
Proposals and Recommendations
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Continue to reward with incentives
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Integrate databases (police/school)
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Continue media marketing campaign