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Police,
DPS and
community
supporting
Detroit
youth
DETROIT
(Tell Us
Det) -
Detroit
police,
DPS and
Federal
agencies
team up
In an
effort
to keep
kids
safe and
reduce
crime
during a
truancy
sweep
this
week.
The push
is being
made by
Operation
Safe
Passage
Task
Force,
an
ongoing
collaborative
effort
by
federal,
state
and
local
law
enforcement
to
reduce
crime by
and
against
children
in
Detroit.
OSP’s
mission
is to
combat
juvenile
crime
and
truancy
and
positively
influence
children
to stay
in
school.
Public
safety
and
supporting
our
youth
remains
our top
priorities,
because
criminal
behavior
often
begins
with
truancy.
On
Monday
officers
met at
the
Detroit
Police
Department's
Eastern
District
offices
to
discuss
the
effort
with the
media
and
community
organizations.
Tell Us
Detroit
talked
with
retired
teacher
and
current
Detroit
Police
Officer
Monica
Evans,
who was
a
teacher
for 12
years.
Detroit
Public
Schools
officials
are also
participating.
The
effort
stems
from a
U.S.
Justice
Department
report
that
found
many of
the
nation's
prisoners
listed
truancy
as their
first
offense.
The task
force
has also
organized
patrols
before
and
after
classes
at a
number
of
Detroit
schools
to help
students
arrive
and
depart
safely.
Designed
to
provide
truant
students
positive
alternatives,
those
caught
out of
school
during
the
truancy
sweeps
are
mentored,
assigned
to
community
service
or
provided
support
if
issues
are
preventing
them
from
attending
classes.
In last
year's
sweep,
two
sisters,
ages 11
and 15
said
they
were
homeless
and
hadn't
attended
school
for two
years.
Other
truants
cited
transportation
problems,
lack of
housing
and
negligent
parents.
The OSP
Task
Force is
comprised
of
members
of the
Comprehensive
Violence
Reduction
Partnership
including
the
Detroit
Police
Department,
Bureau
of
Alcohol,
Tobacco,
Firearms
&
Explosives,
Wayne
County
Sheriff’s
Office,
Wayne
County
Prosecutor’s
Office,
Michigan
State
Police
and the
United
States
Attorney’s
Office.
OSP also
consists
of the
Detroit
Public
Schools
Attendance
Office,
in
addition
to the
community
partners.
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