It's almost a law of nature: Cops and kids don't always get along.
But the Kirkland Youth Council and the city's police department have teamed up to ease the strain with a new "Respect Manual," which was recently distributed to police and junior and senior high school students in the city.
The manual - a slick, color publication with lots of photos - lays out exactly what teenagers can expect when dealing with police in situations that can vary from traffic stops to house parties that have sparked complaints.
Roughly 7,000 copies were printed, and the manual is a retooled version of one that came out a few years ago, said Regi Schubiger, a Youth Council advisor who worked on the project.
The manual - which was based on one put together by police and youths in Seattle - was rewritten for a couple of reasons. One, Kirkland started issuing teenagers intermediate driver's licenses that include numerous restrictions, which are now explained in the manual.
Ruffled feathers
A second reason for the rewrite is that Kirkland police panned the first edition.
"From what we heard from police officers, it was more one-sided, and it was giving kids (tips) to get out of things," Schubiger said.
"It put the police department a little bit more on the defensive, whereas this (new one) is definitely a collaborative project," she said of an effort that included input from rank-and-file officers all the way to Police Chief Stan Aston.
Patrol officers Christa Gilland and Janelle McMillian were assigned to work with the Youth Council on preparing the manual. "It didn't turn out to be light duty," Gilland said.
Changing the tone of the previous version took work, for example. "It wasn't very officer-friendly," she said. "It didn't promote a working relationship at all."
Writing the new manual also included clarifying some of the content and making the language more understandable, Gilland said. "We just tried to keep it real simple."
Juanita High School senior and Youth Council member Andrea Hanefeld said there isn't bad blood between police and most teens in Kirkland. But each group has their own set of stereotypes, she added. "What we wanted to do is bridge the gap."
Detailed information
Improving communication between teenagers and police aside, the manual also offers a wealth of useful details. "Keep hands visible, and try not to make any quick movements while being contacted by the police" is one example.
The manual also notes that school lockers are subject to a search without a warrant, and that students can be searched on campus without the same level of cause needed in the real world.
The difference between loitering and trespassing is also explained, and there is a section that lists various crimes and the consequences teens could face if they are convicted of the offenses.
A minor in possession of alcohol, for instance, could end up with a misdemeanor on their record, be fined up to $500 and be jailed or required to perform community service.
Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs can trigger more severe penalties. The manual notes a DUI conviction is a gross misdemeanor and that a driver's license will be suspended for 30 days for the first offense. First-timer fines run $2,000, and insurance rates will increase dramatically, according to the manual.
There is another section in the manual that talks about teen dating violence. "A lot of people don't talk about it," said Christina Hunt, a Youth Council member who is a senior at Juanita High. "I've seen a couple of cases of it."
Like some adult victims of domestic violence, many teenagers don't know where they can go for help, Hunt noted. The manual helps out in one respect. It explains the factors needed to obtain a protection order, where they have to be filed, and that both teenagers involved have to be at least 16.
Also included in the manual is a description of an unusual duty the Youth Council performs.
"We do a teen traffic court," Hunt said. A teenager charged with a traffic violation or any offense connected to restrictions on the new intermediate driver's license can be tried by a jury of their peers, she said.
Staffed by Youth Council members, the teen court sessions are held twice a month, and fines can be lowered as long as the ticketed teen agrees to perform community service.
"We have a whole bunch of community services we can give them," added Paul Green, a Youth Council member who is a junior at Juanita. The teens don't try to emulate Judge Judy in the court sessions, added Hanefeld. "No, we try to keep it respectful."
Keeping it civil makes it easier for the teens to tell their whole story, Hunt said. "A lot of people really appreciate it," she said. Also appreciated is the fact that the teen's record is wiped clean if they follow through on the community-service punishment, Hunt added.
Effective?
Kirkland police spokesman Lt. Rex Caldwell described the manual as a good project, although a bit left of center. "At the same time, it's good information that needs to get out," he said.
There has always been a perceived youth problem in Kirkland, but, Caldwell said, in reality the situation isn't that bad: "There are thousands and thousands of youth in our city, and we have issues with a few dozen. Even I know who they are sitting in an office."
Whether those hard cases will read and pay attention to the manual remains to be seen, but Officer Gilland has her doubts. "The problem is that the kids that read that manual and take it to heart ... they're not the kids we contact out there."
On the flip side, she said, the manual is useful resource for average kids who can find out what can happen to them if they're caught drinking at a party, for example.
The city paid around $6,000 for updating the manual, which was also partially financed by an advertisement for the Parkplace shopping center.
Kirkland City Council member Joan McBride described the project as a labor of love, adding that the City Council urged the Youth Council to include color in the manual.
McBride conceded that the manual probably won't change the behavior of the city's chronic troublemakers.
"But I would suspect it will have a more long-lasting effect. Any kid can be involved in an accident," she said of one situation where information in the manual can come in handy.
McBride does see the Respect Manual as a positive step.
"I think this is a catalyst for even more and better conversations between police and youth in our city," she said.
