The establishment of police juvenile bureaus and other early policing interventions with youth grew out of the child-saving reform movement of the previous century, and was based on a vision of police as the hub of social services to youth. This vision was however, largely unfulfilled. Youth bureaus remained out of the mainstream of police organizations and early moral values fell victim to massive social changes. Police withdrew into a professional isolation antithetical to a social service role with youth, and social service agencies developed ideologies and values that often were alien to police. The police strategy that eventually emerged was two-pronged: police became gatekeepers of the juvenile justice system by referring 'guilty' youth for disposition and diverting others at either the street or interdepartmental level. For the most part, these latter discretionary activities are invisible and little is known about their outcomes. However, these independent activities of police provide a form of social control and are probably important in the lives of children and communities. 29 references.