This article provides an historical overview of the JJDPA and a discussion of the ensuing debates over the impact of DSO. Quantitative data collected on California runaways are used to examine the interaction between runaways, parents, and the police. Supporters of the DSO movement have suggested that police try to control status offenders through relabeling upward or downward to meet detention eligibility or diversion criteria; they have also been accused of net-widening by referred youths who would previously have been released into alternative programs. The results show that most runaways return home voluntarily within a few days; only a small minority are arrested and detained, usually as a result of a probation violation, warrant for a criminal offense, or alleged commission of a criminal offense. The findings emphasize the need to examine the effects of legal policy on the police. 2 tables and 31 references