HARTFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT

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HARTFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT

• TRUANCY REDUCTION
• PILOT PROGRAM

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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.

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Truancy Overview

• 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.

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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.
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Juvenile Investigative Division Truancy Unit

• Police Case Managers
• Commander Lieutenant Tedeschi
• Supervisor Sergeant Eisele
• Supervisor Sergeant Hightower
• Detective Dubose-Watson
• Detective Gogins
• Officer Mordasiewicz
• Officer Jimenez
• Liaison Ms. J. Bethea

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Truancy Unit Operational Component

• Commander JID
• Lieutenant Mark J. Tedeschi
• Supervisors
• Sergeant Matt Eisele
• Sergeant Emory Hightower
• Truancy Detectives
• Detective Cheryl Gogins
• Detective Francis Dubose-Watson

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Truancy Unit Operational Component Cont.

• Truancy Officers
• Officer Nicole Mordasiewicz
• Officer Ivy Jimenez
• Truancy Liaison Person
• Ms. Jacqueline Bethea
• JID Detectives

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Truancy Unit Administrative Component

• Public Information Officer
• Nancy Mulroy
• Community Relations Specialist
• Richard LeGrier
• Board of Education Liaison
• Andrea Comer

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Truancy Reduction Pilot ProgramHierarchy Chart
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Pilot Program Inception

• Truancy Reduction Pilot Program initiated on
  February 13, 2007
• Truancy Reduction Pilot Program trial stage ended
  on June 22, 2007

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Truancy Corporate Sponsorship

• The Travelers Connecticut Foundation provided
  funding for HPDs Truancy Reduction program
• 150,000 was committed to fund the Truancy
  Program

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Truancy Definition

• 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

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Pilot Program Tracking

• 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

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Pilot Program Successes/Outcomes

• 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

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Pilot Program Successes/Outcomes

• 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

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Program Incentives

• Levels 1 4
• 30 day reward Sallys Fish House
• 60 day reward Concert and Theater Tickets
• 90 day reward BowlA-Rama
• 120 day reward Lake Compounce and
  Award Ceremony

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CompStat Model Five Basic Principles

• Specific Objectives
• Operational and Administrative
• Timely and Accurate Data Collection
• Truancy Reduction Application Computer System
  TRACS
• Effective Strategies
• Implementing Work Effort
• Assessment and Follow-up

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Three Stage Process

• Phase I Truancy Reduction Pilot Program
• Phase II Truancy Reduction Program Summer School
  Initiative
• Phase III Truancy Reduction Program full
  academic year 2007/08

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Attendance Improvement by Student
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Absence Reduction Rate
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Pilot Program Schools

• Thirman L. Milner Elementary School
• Barnard Brown Elementary School
• Quirk Middle School
• Fox Middle School
• Hartford Public High School
• Weaver High School

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Preventative Truancy Loss and Overall Savings
(PTL/OS)
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Proposals and Recommendations

• Include HPD School Crossing Guards
• Improve communications between
• police and school
• Maintain parental involvement
• Develop consortium of police, school, social
  service and community

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Proposals and Recommendations

• Continue to reward with incentives
• Integrate databases (police/school)
• Continue media marketing campaign