Director of Operations and Community Impact STAR/PAL
This presentation highlights San Diego’s STAR/PAL (Sports, Training, Academics, Recreation/Police Athletic League) program. This model consists of three parts: (1) SDPD is out in the community of San Diego working with collaborative partners countywide to understand what problems they are facing regarding youth; (2)SPD develops a curriculum in-house that is structured to address those issues identified and then trains and equips police officers to deliver this curriculum to students in schools throughout the county; and (3) SPD ensures non-enforcement interactions take place in the classroom between students, officers, and teachers, which are set up to encourage trust building through mutual empathy and respect. Attendees will gain an understanding of how to leverage such a model to build trust through non-enforcement interactions in schools. Strategies will be shared to improve community health and trust and how law enforcement agencies can deploy resources effectively, maximize officer impact, and minimize burnout through strategic partnerships.