Teens given tips on how to interact with police
Incident at LHS led school administrators to schedule seminar
BY TOYNETT HALL Staff Writer

LAKEWOOD - In an effort to bridge the gap between young people and law enforcement authorities, administrators at Lakewood High School recently presented students with guidelines on how to interact with police officers if they encounter that particular situation.

A Nov. 12 melee at the high school on Somerset Avenue that involved about 100 pupils and resulted in 12 arrests prompted administrators to find a way to educate students on how to communicate with law enforcement personnel.

What they found was the "Law and You," a presentation produced by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and the Allstate Insurance Co.

The "Law and You" provides guidelines in a pamphlet and a video for young adults on how to interact with law enforcement officials in various situations.

In attendance at the April 29 event to help facilitate the presentation was Sgt. Cindy Boyd of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office; Jerome Cohen, the Lakewood High School resource officer; Ian Golden, an assistant to the Ocean County prosecutor; and JamesWaters, community activist and former president of the Lakewood chapter of the NAACP.

Lakewood High School Principal Gil Suarez said that in the aftermath of the November incident, administrators realized students needed this type of information.

"The majority of individuals who ended up in trouble (in November) weren't even involved in the initial confrontation. They were arrested simply because they did not respond to police," Suarez said. "They were removed and they came running saying, 'Hey, can the police do this?' 'Can they come and tell us what to do?' (The answer is) absolutely; any situation where law enforcement is summoned, they now take over."

During the presentation, students were shown four scenarios in which they might encounter a police officer:

• The first scenario showed a party where youths were gathered and there was a possibility of underage drinking taking place.

• The second scenario showed a traffic stop.

• The third scenario involved youths who were shoplifting.

• The fourth scenario involved a drug deal in which a youngman who was not involved in the deal was arrested because of the people with whom he was associating.

In all of these scenarios there were three rules that students were encouraged to follow.

The first rule is to always be respectful. According to the pamphlet, "The first words spoken by either the officer(s) or the citizen(s) involvedmay very well determine the tone of the encounter and even the eventual outcome."

An additional note of caution found in the pamphlet states, "Avoid any action or language thatmight trigger amore volatile situation, possibly endangering your life or personal well-being."

The second rule is to be honest. The video encouraged students to be honest from the beginning of their interaction with the police. If the police officer suspects that a person is lying or poses a threat, not only does that set a negative tone, that could warrant a search, giving the officer "reasonable suspicion" and "probable cause," according to the video.

The third rule is to cooperate. The video suggests that if an individual cooperates with law enforcement personnel, everything with the encounter should run smoothly.

Also contained in the pamphlet was information as to what procedures to follow if an individual views the conduct of a police officer to be improper or illegal.

According to information provided in the document: do not resist arrest for any reason; control your emotions; do notmake threatening motions or statements to the officers who are talking to you; never attempt to interfere with the arrest of others who may be with you; always note the name of the officers with whom you come in contact; report cases of officer misconduct immediately following your release from police custody; record, document and describe any case of officermisconduct in a typewritten statement. Have the summary of the incident notarized within 72 hours of its occurrence.

Opinions on the presentation differed from various students.

Senior Victor Gagliano, 17, said, "I was already familiar with most of the information given in the presentation. My dad has taught me a lot of these principles and wants tomake sure I amnot part of certain situations. He comes across a lot of these same situations (in his work)."

Victor noted that "the more these rules are repeated, the more effective" they become.

Junior Jessica Gomez, 17, said, "This presentation taught me a lot and made me as well as other students understand that the police are just doing their job."

Senior Shaquinta Bovan, 18, said, "This presentation was really educational. I now know what to do if I ever encounter the police."

According to Shaquinta, the most important lesson she took away fromthe seminar was to "not panic and always follow instructions."