Evidence of the increasing challenge that faces urban police departments is found in the national statistics on juvenile arrests. Between 1981 and 1990, youth arrests increased substantially for violent crimes and weapons law violations. The arrest rates for African-American youth were constant until 1984, but increased by 200 percent between 1984 and 1989. This increase occurred primarily in America's largest cities, and it has become a major part of urban crime in America. The drug problem is a significant aspect of the urban crime problem. In the 1980's, police methods of handling juveniles became less distinguishable from the methods used with adults, due in part to the erosion of the parens patriae philosophy of the juvenile court. Two opposing approaches to juvenile justice have emerged. In one approach, minor juvenile offenders are diverted from formal processing and institutionalization, while more serious offenders are subject to punitive measures similar to those applied to adult offenders. The second approach is the emerging multi-agency police response. It focuses on achieving interagency agreements with prosecutors, courts, public and private community service agencies, and school officials. This approach includes an emphasis on involving patrol officers in addressing juvenile problems and on minimizing the use of "counsel and release"; systematic analysis of particular problems and improved informational exchange across units and within police departments are key components of this approach. There is a focus on identifying those juveniles most at risk of becoming serious offenders. Although most police officers tend to take one of these general approaches depending on the situation, their often conflicting goals produce role conflicts for police in their exercise of discretion. Major sections of this paper discuss factors that affect individual officer decisions, some innovative ideas and programs, accountability and deterrence, and prevention and reorientation. 24 references