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Teaching Youths About the Law

NCJ Number
168671
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 66 Issue: 7 Dated: July 1997 Pages: 19-21
Author(s)
L Murdo
Date Published
1997
Length
3 pages
Annotation
In recent years, police officers in Albany, California, have experienced an increase in the number of confrontational contacts with young people, and a course has been developed to provide practical instruction about the law and police methods and to communicate to young people the important role of police officers in society.
Abstract
The course, titled Constitutional Law/Practical Applications Instruction for Youth, is delivered each May to students in Albany's public middle and high schools. The police chief meets with 8th grade students as they prepare to advance to high school and with high school seniors as they prepare to graduate. By delivering the instruction twice, the program reinforces the principles at pivotal points in the lives of students. The 1-day instruction program covers a wide range of topics, including exigent circumstances that allow warrantless residential searches, specific legal points related to the scope of warrantless vehicle searches, individual expectations of privacy, searches incident to arrest, the legality of pat-down searches, and safeguards and limitations of the fifth amendment's protection against compelled self-incrimination. The course stresses the balance between the constitutional rights of individuals and the responsibilities of citizens. 1 endnote and 1 photograph