Good kids gone bad - Part 3

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

Kings County Register

RCMP school liaison officer Cst. Greg Byrne has had a brisk new school year.

He has investigated grafitti at Coldbrook, twice, complete with racist overtones; assault with bodily harm at Horton, suspected drug possession at NKEC, a report of assault with a weapon at Central Kings and some eventful dances.

"It has been an extremely busy start," says Byrne, a school liaison officer for three years. In his role, he is able to deal with youth differently than fellow officers. A practical Newfoundlander with 20 years’ experience, Bryne sometimes shakes his head.

“We all make mistakes. With adults, it’s more black and white. Youth can’t look far enough down the road - their actions are not thought out enough to know what the intent is.”

Part of his job is to educate the public and police officers about the behaviour youth exhibit. All too often, Bryne thinks, general duty officers see only the bad.

He himself certainly observes the negative, but also has a chance to be involved in the positive.

“There are some awesome youth out there. I get the opportunity to see them.”

He investigates incidents at dances and is called in if there could be criminal offenses at schools involving drugs, weapons, assaults or bullying. He runs programs like DARE (drug abuse resistance education) and PARTY (previous alcohol-related trauma), gives talks and lectures and gets to go on field trips.

Bryne has three kids of his own - ages 14 to 18 - and he is glad he doesn’t work in their schools. Some parents put on blinders where their children are concerned, thinking they are perfect. Bryne wishes parents knew better who their children are hanging with. A small group can create an energy that turns negative.

“A lot of what I see is a lack of knowledge about the issues,” he adds. Information travels so fast today amongst youth with MSN, Facebook and other media.

Youth are prone to experimentation and making poor decisions, says Bryne. They might spray paint a vehicle for a lark without thinking of the consequences: a $2,000 paint job.

Many times he investigates crimes of opportunity.

“They are not constantly making trouble. Even good kids will seek thrills, like egging houses. Then, they’ll panic and run.”

As a kid himself, he raided apple trees and threw eggs at Halloween. Pranks today tend to be more serious. When he was young, he’d get caught by a neighbour or parent and “get a kick in the arse.” A sense of discipline is often lost nowadays, but he believes youth at 14 or 15 know the difference between right and wrong.

While investigating a case, police officers will get a good reading on the home situation and circumstances of a young offender and know if restorative justice could be effective.

“It’s not in all circumstances, so it should be discretionary for members.”

The Crown ultimately decides how to proceed. In Byrne’s opinion, if, for example, a break and enter has occurred, restitution victims can see should be made.

Society does produce some bad kids, Byrne acknowledges, and some could have a psychopathic personality.

“You see it in behaviour patterns. Teachers know how to recognize them. Every school has a couple. You see them even at the elementary level.”

Bryne works with about 5,000 students. The percentage of real troublemakers is tiny, maybe 10 or 12 kids out of a school population of 1,200.

“They are two or three per cent of the school population, max - but they tie up a lot of resources.”

He knows of four troubled kids who are off at a U.S. facility.

“What is the cost of that? What could have been done earlier?”

“It’s safe to say I’ve seen a difference over the years,” Bryne says of an increase in youth crime.

“We need to ask, ‘What more should we be doing? What issues clog the system, like health care, justice, education, recreation. Who is co-ordinating?’”





Playtime with police pays off

Local police agencies spent a week this past summer reaching out to children who might some day be at risk.

With assistance from Big Brothers and Big Sisters, a program of varied activities brought law enforcement officers and youth together socially. Susan Suffron, who runs Big Brothers/Big Sisters, says that parents tell her this mini police academy day camp is the “best program” offered.

RCMP Cst. Angela Williams says the program began seven or eight years ago to promote positive interaction.

“It’s fun and educational,” she notes: the children get a glimpse of police work police and then a chance to play with non-uniformed officers.

Outings this August included trips to the beach for swimming and jet skiing, crafts, zoo visits and a Halifax outing.

According to Williams, there is an element of giving back to the community in police organizations.

“We’re big proponents of that. There’s also a deterrent value, so this is a great program.”

Williams said eight children took part this year.

“We enjoy it, and only hope it benefits the youth.”

The world in their eyes: violence, sex, profanity, intolerance

Teen culture expert Dan Frazell tells parents every chance he gets: entertainment media affects children, and open communication between parents and children is important.

Frazell, a police officer from Bangor, doesn't preach censorship. For over 15 years, Frazell has toured the continent presenting “How the Media is Killing Our Children.” He presented at Acadia University several years ago.

Frazell often draws shocked responses from his audiences, repeating lyrics from popular rap and rock songs, describing the scenes in violent video games - the top-selling video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas involves prostitution and the murder of police officers - and sexually explicit advertisements, and conversations on television shows such as the cartoon “South Park,” which makes fun of various races and religious and uses profane language; or over the internet.

According to Frazell, Stanford University released a study in 2001 that found children who spent less time watching television and playing video games were less violent.

He warns parents about Myspace, a popular website that allows members to create networks of “friends,” setting up their own profile with pictures and details - even where they live. Frazell says Myspace is frequented by child predators and, many times, sites contain sexual content.

Frazell tells parents to talk to their children.

“Explain the value of having values. If you can get your kids to think about things from a critical point of view, I think there's your chance.”