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12-year-old accused of pulling fire alarm charged with felony

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A 12 year old in a group home for troubled children charged with a felony for this? I know it's wrong and should be penalized, there's a lot of potential danger he could have caused, but shouldn't Lincoln Hall have safeguards in place, and do we need prosecuting 12 year olds really adding to the overwhelmed court and jail syste?

12-year-old accused of pulling fire alarm charged with felony

Jul 14, 2011 LoHud.com

Westchester County, New York

SOMERS — A 12-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday after emergency responders arrived at the Lincoln Hall School for Boys to find that he had pulled a fire alarm, according to state police

http://www.lohud.com/article/20110714/NEWS02/107140412/12-year-old-accused-pulling-fire-alarm-charged-felony

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A 12 year old in a group home for troubled children charged with a felony for this? I know it's wrong and should be penalized, there's a lot of potential danger he could have caused, but shouldn't Lincoln Hall have safeguards in place, and do we need prosecuting 12 year olds really adding to the overwhelmed court and jail syste?

http://www.lohud.com/article/20110714/NEWS02/107140412/12-year-old-accused-pulling-fire-alarm-charged-felony

Yes, in short, we do. The juveniles are only at Lincoln Hall caused they have already screwed up. To allow them to offend on top of that and go unpunished, serves no purpose. There should be consequences. And no one is going to end up in jail over this.

BFD1054 and abaduck like this

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Unfortunately something has to be done... The mount of malicious pulls at the facility is out of control. They are already there because they screwed up but what else can be done?

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I am surprised that there isn't a delay on the transmission of the signal from the pull station. In many of the facilities that I am involved in, especially those with secure units, there is a delay that first alerts the nurses or supervisor's station while maintaining locked doors. If the nurse/supervisor doesn't override the pull station then the life safety door closest to the pull station opens in whatever the state mandated time is (20 seconds or so depending on location) and the alarms transmitted to the appropriate 911 center. The other life safety doors open shortly thereafter.

So, there should be ample time for staff to investigate and limit the dispatch of units if they aren't necessary.

Does Lincoln Hall have behavioral health beds or just juvenal delinquency residents

antiquefirelt and x635 like this

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A 12 year old in a group home for troubled children charged with a felony for this? I know it's wrong and should be penalized, there's a lot of potential danger he could have caused, but shouldn't Lincoln Hall have safeguards in place, and do we need prosecuting 12 year olds really adding to the overwhelmed court and jail syste?

http://www.lohud.com...-charged-felony

It wouldn't surprise me that given the facts from the story, if true, he might see the charges reduced.

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Well this is not the first resident from this facility to be arrested for this. As earlier posted this has gotten out of hand there. The laws in NY do not allow for the facility to be notified prior to fd dispatch. The kids are court placed they are not angels by any means. There are no developmentally challanged people there. Since the residents have started to get arrested the malicious alarms are way down.

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I don't care if this kid is there court ordered, or becuase he didn't listen to his parents and was a pain in the a** or because his mommy left him on a doorstep..... we are a society of laws and with breaking the law comes the consequences.

I'm sure the local FD has to go there many times because some deviant feels like pulling the alarm, God forbid there is an accident and a member is injured or killed going to one of these false alarms, or if there is an actual working job somewhere else in the district and the units are tied up at this place.

Will the charge stay a felony ? No, this is westchester county, very few crimes actually stay as charged.

I'm very glad to hear that once they started arresting people for pulling false alarms, the incidents of this happening has dropped.

As far as the courts being overwhelmed with this, this matter will be dealt with in family court ( which is a joke anyway) but even so, I would rather family court be dealing with juvenile crime like this rather than dealing with silly baby mamma drama orders of protection and nonsense like that.

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Well this is not the first resident from this facility to be arrested for this. As earlier posted this has gotten out of hand there. The laws in NY do not allow for the facility to be notified prior to fd dispatch. The kids are court placed they are not angels by any means. There are no developmentally challanged people there. Since the residents have started to get arrested the malicious alarms are way down.

We have seen similar results with a facility like this in my city. Most of the kids are "troubled youth" and some are now ones that would normally be in the Juvenile Detention facility, but due to space issues get transferred to this facility instead. We frequently ran fire alarms there for all sorts of stuff - pull stations, smoking and other malicious acts that would trip detectors. Multiple trips per week and sometimes per day. Between us and the PD we started to prosecute the ones responsible and now the alarms there an infrequent occurrence.

Not sure whether they have been charged with felonies or misdemeanors or what the final outcome is, but once charged they are removed from the facility (with the support of the staff/admin) and moved to less favorable accommodations elsewhere. If I'm not mistaken, they've had a few instances in which they will hold "roommates" accountable for an incident (within the shared room) if there's no clear proof of who did it and nobody will confess or point the finger. Typically that's enough incentive to get things sorted out quickly.

I agree that these kids being convicted of a felony (in most cases) for merely pulling a fire alarm (assuming no pattern of such behavior) is a little extreme, but there has to be real consequences for this type of behavior that puts others at risk.

Edited by FireMedic049

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If you are going to arrest the kids pulling the alarm at this type of facility then shouldn't they arrest the kids that pull them in all buildings? It has the same possible outcomes(accident while responding, someone getting killed etc...), makes no difference where the pull station was be it a school, mall, hospital or a juvy housing unit.

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The kids' 12. He'll loop through the system again, and what will be the benefit? He'll come out more of a criminal then before.

The false alarm issues can get someone killed in a variety of ways, and needs to be stopped.

However, why not try to point these kids in the right direction, if applicable? Have them pack hose, mow the lawns at the firehouse and do janitorial duties, get if they prove themselves, get them to join the explorer program.

I think there needs to be more social responsibilty instead of ignoring these kids and the impact they can have if allowed to go untreated. (burden on law enforcement, courts, corrections over their lifespan). Most people on this forum are lucky to have been born into a good part of society and have, for the most part, had a upbringing where someone cared about them. These kid's don't have that. Nobody ever cared about them. They grew up in poverty and violence. They know that trouble brings them status, attention.

Again, this kid is 12. It's not too late.

Alpinerunner and FD828 like this

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If you are going to arrest the kids pulling the alarm at this type of facility then shouldn't they arrest the kids that pull them in all buildings? It has the same possible outcomes(accident while responding, someone getting killed etc...), makes no difference where the pull station was be it a school, mall, hospital or a juvy housing unit.

I cant speak for other schools but the schools in my district will not turn over the kids that pull alarms for whatever reasons.

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The kids' 12. He'll loop through the system again, and what will be the benefit? He'll come out more of a criminal then before.

The false alarm issues can get someone killed in a variety of ways, and needs to be stopped.

However, why not try to point these kids in the right direction, if applicable? Have them pack hose, mow the lawns at the firehouse and do janitorial duties, get if they prove themselves, get them to join the explorer program.

I think there needs to be more social responsibilty instead of ignoring these kids and the impact they can have if allowed to go untreated. (burden on law enforcement, courts, corrections over their lifespan). Most people on this forum are lucky to have been born into a good part of society and have, for the most part, had a upbringing where someone cared about them. These kid's don't have that. Nobody ever cared about them. They grew up in poverty and violence. They know that trouble brings them status, attention.

Again, this kid is 12. It's not too late.

The "benefit" that comes from this is not specifically for the kid. The "benefit" is the deterrence of other kids doing the same thing because they see the consequence of doing so, essentially the "scared straight" factor. Reducing and/or eliminating these incidents also have "benefit" for us and the community by not having units responding to unnecessary calls and the potential risk involved regardless of how careful we drive.

I agree, he's only 12, but 12 is absolutely old enough to know right from wrong on something like this (and a number of other things too). As mentioned, he will likely get pleaded down to a minimal charge and that's fine for the most part, at least for a first offense, however there's a good chance that "the point" was made.

Without knowing more about this particular facility, I'd assume that pointing them "in the right direction" is a primary intent of the program and the kids may already be being directed towards community service duties and mentoring opportunities.

As far as "social responsibility" with these kids goes, at what point should they become socially responsible for themselves and their actions? In order for society to "rehabilitate" them, they have to be a willing participant. Kind of like dealing with a person with an addiction. If they haven't reached the point of wanting to change their ways, then there's really not much you can do. Without that willingness to and active participation to change their behavior, it's no longer about society not caring about them. Personal responsibility/accountability for one's actions has to be an early and integral part of the process.

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Lincoln Hall Is a Non Secure Juvinile Detention Center theses kids broke laws and thats why they are there. So you cannot take them anywhere without staff of Lincoln Hall. These kids will and do try to get away every chance they get. Why expose them to the community???? There are more gangs in Lincoln Hall then any local communitys. You need to get over the fact that he is 12 and remember why he is there. Lest not forget though it may many many years ago Lincoln Hall residnets committed a murder and severe assault to two elderly town residents.

The kids' 12. He'll loop through the system again, and what will be the benefit? He'll come out more of a criminal then before.

The false alarm issues can get someone killed in a variety of ways, and needs to be stopped.

However, why not try to point these kids in the right direction, if applicable? Have them pack hose, mow the lawns at the firehouse and do janitorial duties, get if they prove themselves, get them to join the explorer program.

I think there needs to be more social responsibilty instead of ignoring these kids and the impact they can have if allowed to go untreated. (burden on law enforcement, courts, corrections over their lifespan). Most people on this forum are lucky to have been born into a good part of society and have, for the most part, had a upbringing where someone cared about them. These kid's don't have that. Nobody ever cared about them. They grew up in poverty and violence. They know that trouble brings them status, attention.

Again, this kid is 12. It's not too late.

Edited by firegui

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Have them pack hose.....get if they prove themselves, get them to join the explorer program.

I really hope this is sarcasm, because that's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time

Remember585 likes this

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Charge him... I would concider him a repete offender (not saying he has pulled the box more than once just that he has already committed a crime) and need to learn that he has to be held accountable for his actions. I remember working in somers and hearing the FD get called to that place over and over again. Show todays youth that if you break the law you go to jail. It's that simple.

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The kids' 12. He'll loop through the system again, and what will be the benefit? He'll come out more of a criminal then before.

The false alarm issues can get someone killed in a variety of ways, and needs to be stopped.

However, why not try to point these kids in the right direction, if applicable? Have them pack hose, mow the lawns at the firehouse and do janitorial duties, get if they prove themselves, get them to join the explorer program.

I think there needs to be more social responsibilty instead of ignoring these kids and the impact they can have if allowed to go untreated. (burden on law enforcement, courts, corrections over their lifespan). Most people on this forum are lucky to have been born into a good part of society and have, for the most part, had a upbringing where someone cared about them. These kid's don't have that. Nobody ever cared about them. They grew up in poverty and violence. They know that trouble brings them status, attention.

Again, this kid is 12. It's not too late.

Seth, I respect your opinion but I can't agree.

We have no clue why this kid is at this facility in the first place, it could be for any number of crimes... I'm pretty sure that this is the kind of kid that you don't want hanging around the fire house and I could bet you apples to oranges that this kid would rather start fires rather than help put them out.

As far as social responsibility goes, I'm a cop, my job is to hold people responsible when they break the law and thats what I do and thats what happened to this kid, he is being held responsible for what he did.

As far as the whole " poor, nobody cares about them, poverty and violence" argument, enough of my paycheck goes to social welfare and programs to help these kids and their families.. their situation is not my fault.... You have to draw the line somewhere

BFD1054, helicopper and JohnnyOV like this

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Seth, I respect your opinion but I can't agree.

We have no clue why this kid is at this facility in the first place, it could be for any number of crimes... I'm pretty sure that this is the kind of kid that you don't want hanging around the fire house and I could bet you apples to oranges that this kid would rather start fires rather than help put them out.

As far as social responsibility goes, I'm a cop, my job is to hold people responsible when they break the law and thats what I do and thats what happened to this kid, he is being held responsible for what he did.

As far as the whole " poor, nobody cares about them, poverty and violence" argument, enough of my paycheck goes to social welfare and programs to help these kids and their families.. their situation is not my fault.... You have to draw the line somewhere

I think the main point of Seth's response was first the community service aspect as in a "punishment" for his crime, being that he is 12 years old. For God's sake we are letting murders off with less punishment in this country! I also think Seth was looking at helping change the direction of this kids life. Obviously he is troubled and everyone must be giving up on him. I commend you Seth for the willingness to help and possibly mold this kid into a productive member of society. If it doesn't work out what happens? He goes back to where he was. What if it does work? What if because Seth took a chance and helped this kid, he joins a FD and saves a bunch of lives? You never know...... (and yes I realize that Seth is not actually here doing this, but it's the thought that counts)

P.S. - there are plenty of examples of firefighters starting fires so judging him that way isn't exactly fair

FirefighterJr and x635 like this

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Thanks you, FD28. You understood a lot of my points.

To others, what is the answer? To keep throwing these kids into facilities for their lives? To make them more of a criminal, so they pose a risk to the community for the rest of their lives? With less and less police officers on the street, there's going to be more oppurtunities for these children to commit criminal acts. And it's not just a police officer's job to lock people up, it's also to prevent and deter crime, and set an example.

Lincoln Hall isn't just for children who committed criminal acts. It's also for children who have emotional, mental, and substance abuse issues to go alonng with it.

A lot of money that goes into these "welfare programs" doesn't end up where it should. Many FD and EMS members want to help the community....but they want the action, putting out fires, etc. They should use their "role model" status to influence good. Instead, most seem to be predudiced about these children, and lump them into a group instead of an individual. No one considers thier background, and most seem to hold grudges.

A lot of these kids, they've never been to a ballgame, an amusement park. They've never had anything constructive to do. No one to look up to. They've been on the streets and shown the bad. Look at the neighborhoods where they come from. Make it an incentive at LH for good behavior to join an FD Explorer post. If escape is an issue, hold a "boot camp" and the program at the facility.

There are a number of Fire/EMS/PD based youth programs throughout the nation. One that involves adults, is in California. They use, and train, inmates on good behavior, to be "camp crews", meaning they assist with the manual taks of fighting wildland fires. When they get out, a lot of these ex-cons end up working for the federal government or CalFire as forest firefighters.

And again, what if you were born and led the life of one of these Lincoln Hall children? Would you feel hopeless, and make trouble because that's all you know and that's how you get attention and noteriety?

Seems people would rather volunteer for causes to help themselves or are "fun" then ones that help the community in other ways as well.

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The closest most of them have been to Lincolndale firehouse is hiding in the woods from the troopers. I think that most of you have a distorted view of most of the kids there... It isnt a summer camp for poor kids its a correctional facility. Somers FD has state police dispatched with us for every call there after issues when responding to alarms there including yelling cursing and fighting. While I am sure there are some "good kids" there the bad apples cast a big shadow...

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I've responded on EMS calls to Lincoln Hall in Somers, and to Leake and Watts in Yonkers, which is just as bad, Four Winds in Katonah, Woodfield Cottage, Children's Village, and many group homes. I've also responded to adult maximum security correctional facilities.

If you show empathy to these kids, even if agitated, I've found that the majority of the time, they can be really nice kids. If you talk to most of them, you can see what led them down the path. I strongly believe that these facilities are reactionary, and not proactive.

A couple of years ago, I responded (here in Texas) to a small town (population about 200). It was a foster kid, about 16ish I think. I found out he was from Sanford, Florida which has extremly high crime rates. He was in a gang, and his grandmother sent him to live with what became foster parents in Texas a couple years back. He had no oppurtunites in Florida-no sports team to join, school district didn't care if he was truant, didn't own a TV, slept on a well worn matteress on the floor, didn't know his father and his mother was a junkie. His grandmother got out of jail and took custody of him.

He was a football star for his hometown HS football team, a good kid from every one that knew him. He did have a couple of small minor run ins with the law, but the law consisted of the police chief and that's it. So instead of jail, he was punished by his parents. Anyways, HS Football coach was giving him "supplements", and that caused an acute medical problem. We had about an hour ride to the closest hospital, where I got his story, which was backed by his foster parents at the hospital. He LOVED football, knew everything about the game-but never had been to one. I got him and his foster dad tickets to a University Of Texas game vs. University Of Central Florida game, and he loved it. He worked hard, and he ended up getting a scholarship to a good college. I asked him about his life in Sanford, and he said he definetly would have been in a gang or dead had he stayed in Sanford, and if he ever becomes a football star, he wants to help as many of those kids as possible. And from what I've read on him, he's doing just that.....

That simple act by his grandmother completly changed his life. Maybe more simple acts could change more lives. I understand why people think that LH residents are beyond help, but I don't believe that they should be given up on, especially at 12. They should be given every chance that every other kid in Westchester gets.

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No offense Seth but when was the last time you responded to Lincoln Hall?? The demeaner of the residents has gone down hill drastically, so much in fact the residents are constantly eloping and getting into trouble that the town is talking if Lincoln Hall Staff cannot get this under control they might look for ways to close and remove it from our community!!! When you were here it was a different place. With the rules for placement of these youths having been changed the type of child they receive has worsened. Heck the staff doesn't feel safe with all the assualts on staff there. Half of these kids belong in "LOCK UP" but since so many secure facilities have been closed by the state they get the little delinquents they would have never gotten or taken in years gone by. As far as behavioral problem kids they are not seen there as they would not make it at Lincoln Hall. Again with all due respect this is NOT the Lincoln Hall you remember..

I've responded on EMS calls to Lincoln Hall in Somers, and to Leake and Watts in Yonkers, which is just as bad, Four Winds in Katonah, Woodfield Cottage, Children's Village, and many group homes. I've also responded to adult maximum security correctional facilities.

If you show empathy to these kids, even if agitated, I've found that the majority of the time, they can be really nice kids. If you talk to most of them, you can see what led them down the path. I strongly believe that these facilities are reactionary, and not proactive.

A couple of years ago, I responded (here in Texas) to a small town (population about 200). It was a foster kid, about 16ish I think. I found out he was from Sanford, Florida which has extremly high crime rates. He was in a gang, and his grandmother sent him to live with what became foster parents in Texas a couple years back. He had no oppurtunites in Florida-no sports team to join, school district didn't care if he was truant, didn't own a TV, slept on a well worn matteress on the floor, didn't know his father and his mother was a junkie. His grandmother got out of jail and took custody of him.

He was a football star for his hometown HS football team, a good kid from every one that knew him. He did have a couple of small minor run ins with the law, but the law consisted of the police chief and that's it. So instead of jail, he was punished by his parents. Anyways, HS Football coach was giving him "supplements", and that caused an acute medical problem. We had about an hour ride to the closest hospital, where I got his story, which was backed by his foster parents at the hospital. He LOVED football, knew everything about the game-but never had been to one. I got him and his foster dad tickets to a University Of Texas game vs. University Of Central Florida game, and he loved it. He worked hard, and he ended up getting a scholarship to a good college. I asked him about his life in Sanford, and he said he definetly would have been in a gang or dead had he stayed in Sanford, and if he ever becomes a football star, he wants to help as many of those kids as possible. And from what I've read on him, he's doing just that.....

That simple act by his grandmother completly changed his life. Maybe more simple acts could change more lives. I understand why people think that LH residents are beyond help, but I don't believe that they should be given up on, especially at 12. They should be given every chance that every other kid in Westchester gets.

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Again with all due respect this is NOT the Lincoln Hall you remember..

Understood, and I'm aware Lincoln Hall has it's issues. Leake and Watts was the same way in 1997, maybe even worse. You could go into one of their cottages and get assaulted or a riot could break out, it was a madhouse. In my opinion, Lincoln Hall is failing in their mission, and instead of being a "catholic charity" or rehabilition/correctional facility, they want or need to be a moneybox and have dropped their standards, mostly due to lack of state funding, and "charity" funding. They don't have enough qualified staff or enough staff at all, or facilities, to handle what they are doing. But the root cause are the kids, the system (and politicians) fails them everywhere they go in NY. There are a lot of kids that are dangerous, but NYS is so incredibly inefficient that their classification,placement, and oversight system is so obsolete, it's scary. But again, these kids have nothing to do, and how can we not accept any blame as a society for these 12 years old kids?

Sports, vocational training, and mentorship all are strong factors in giving kids a CHANCE to succeed. Of course, some won't. But some will, and go on to lead a productive and valuable life, and hopefully pass it on. The mess that is Lincoln Hall only breeds a new generation of criminals.

http://www.lincolnhall.org/pdf/LHAnnualReport2007.pdf

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Do you know who we need to blame for these troubled 12 year old kids ?.. we need to blame fathers that abandon their families and abandon their girlfriends or their one night stands after getting them pregnant...and people that refuse to work because living off the government dole is easier...

I refuse to take responsibility because I am not part of the problem, my tax money that is taken from my check every 2 weeks is part of the solution.

I would love to volunteer my time but I can't because I am busy working my A job and my B job so I can pay my ever increasing property taxes so the government can pay for social welfare programs for these kids and their families, programs that I or my kids will never benefit from even though I FUND THEM.

abaduck, JohnnyOV, JJB531 and 4 others like this

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Do you know who we need to blame for these troubled 12 year old kids ?.. we need to blame fathers that abandon their families and abandon their girlfriends or their one night stands after getting them pregnant...and people that refuse to work because living off the government dole is easier...

I refuse to take responsibility because I am not part of the problem, my tax money that is taken from my check every 2 weeks is part of the solution.

I would love to volunteer my time but I can't because I am busy working my A job and my B job so I can pay my ever increasing property taxes so the government can pay for social welfare programs for these kids and their families, programs that I or my kids will never benefit from even though I FUND THEM.

You are absolutely right in that the blame starts with the parents or lack there of. But seeings how you can't change what has happened in the past that got these kids where they are today, the only thing you can TRY to change is their future. Until they start making birth control mandatory (temporary sterilization if possible) for those on the Government's wellfair programs, the only thing that people can do is help change the direction the kids are heading. I am a little surprised that you being a police officer, wouldn't want to change these kids before you have to deal with them on a adult level with much more serious crimes. I know it takes a special type of person to take on that challenge and I know it is not for everyone, myself included, but someone has to do it.

Edited by FD828

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You are absolutely right in that the blame starts with the parents or lack there of. But seeings how you can't change what has happened in the past that got these kids where they are today, the only thing you can TRY to change is their future. Until they start making birth control mandatory (temporary sterilization if possible) for those on the Government's wellfair programs, the only thing that people can do is help change the direction the kids are heading. I am a little surprised that you being a police officer, wouldn't want to change these kids before you have to deal with them on a adult level with much more serious crimes. I know it takes a special type of person to take on that challenge and I know it is not for everyone, myself included, but someone has to do it.

Contrary to what people may think, it's not the job of the police to change people, thats the job of schools, councelors, families, and sometimes, institutions. What everyone here has to realize is that by the age of 12, a kid growing up in the ghetto already has a negative opinion of the police, they don't want to deal with us, never mind talk and open up to us.

We barely have time to eat dinner most nights, never mind sit and talk to people and try to figure them out and change their lives.

JJB531 likes this

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I can see where both Seth & Crime Cop are coming from here.

Crime Cop and I would agree absolutely that actions need to have consequences, and criminal actions need to have significant consequences. If the parent(s) haven't managed or bothered to teach that, it falls to the state to try to do so.

But the kid that started this discussion isn't 15 or 16, he's *12*. Yes I'm sure there are some 12 year olds that are what in Scotland would be called 'hard cases' and need bars; the safety of the community comes first and if they're so dangerous that that is a factor, end of story.

But the average 12 year old on the wrong track needs something different, I believe. At 12, how many interventions could there have been that tried and failed? Far too young to write them off. Seth's story about the football player pointed in the right direction. Some real honest hard work community service would seem a better option to me than warehousing them in a dubious facility - a madhouse, as Seth put it. Of course that kind of service takes money and effort and supervision. See what the results are, in terms of the safety of the community from offending behaviour, and the future savings from turning a kid away from being a jailbird for some or all of his adult life - it's our tax dollars that pay for this, as Crime Cop pointed out. I have to say, from the comments I've heard, that a kid in one of those facilities is likely to learn bugger all apart from being an even worse criminal. What's the recidivism rate like? That's the bottom line for whether kids should be there or something, anything, else tried.

I'm no bleeding heart liberal; maybe part of the problem is these days, if a kid gets in serious trouble and gets paddled, the *parent* goes to jail. But I can't support locking kids up unless it's been shown to be the most successful option in getting them on the straight and narrow. Punish of course - but it has to be something that *works*.

In the UK they had a very successful program dealing with kids who wouldn't stop stealing and racing cars; they played to their strengths and set up a training program with them teaching them mechanic work, stripping and rebuilding old cars. Worked; kids who had been in and out of juvenile facilities gave up on the car theft and got into real mechanics.

Mike

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Does the PD give out tickets for false alarms in Somers?

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If Seth thinks he could get these kids to pack hose, clean or do anything else Lincoln Hall is hiring. Good luck. As for this kid he was attempting to escape and damaged the fire alarm system. If they all are not charged for it the rest won't learn. this is not the same Lincoln Hall Seth responded to when he was running EMS here and its not the same from 2007 as he is attempting to show with the annual report. Believe me i know.

Just a guy likes this

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I must be missing something. I just read this thread, after reading the link. Did this kid activate a pull station, or pull a wire? Some posters are referring to this as pulling a box, but the article doesn't say that. What am I missing here?

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Besides charging the kid which I believe should be done how about holding the powers to be at the "home" responsible? Seems to me based on some of the posts here there is a management problem at that "home".

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