Juvenile Programs
Programs designed to assist our youth are run by the Criminal Investigations Division. These programs are intended to keep our youth out the system, and if they do enter the system, to assist them in reformation and recovery.
| D.A.R.E | Civil Citation Program | The Alternative Learning Center |
| Police Athletic League | At Risk Assistance Program | SHOCAP |
| TPD Cadets | RADAR | |
Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E)
The Tallahassee Police Department began its D.A.R.E. Program in 1989. The unit teaches the anti-drug and anti-violence elementary curriculum in 30 public and private schools in Leon County.
D.A.R.E. is a positive drug prevention education program that teams law enforcement, schools, the parents and the community to provide effective partnerships to reduce the supply of drugs by reducing demand.
The D.A.R.E. Program Needs Sponsors
Parents are encouraged to make a financial donation to the D.A.R.E. Program. It costs approximately $20.00 per student to provide the curriculum. This money is used to provide incentive items, tee shirts, etc. Businesses and Corporations may advertise their logo on the back of the tee shirt for a donation starting at $1000. Current tee shirt sponsors include: Papa John's Pizza, The Optimist Club, & Chick-Fil-A, Capital City Bankm, G. T. Electric, Flamingo Construction, Inc., Castle Cabinetry, and McCoy's Concrete & Pumping.
D.A.R.E. has been credited with nationwide reduction in youth drug use (National Drug Czar's Office). The Tallahassee Police Department's long-standing commitment to D.A.R.E. is based upon our mission to keep our youth drug-free and reduce juvenile violence in our community.
Tallahassee Police Athletic League, Inc. (TAL PAL)
TAL PAL is a not for profit, 501(c) 3, juvenile crime prevention program operated by the Tallahassee Police Department and a board of directors. The goal of TAL PAL is to team young persons, aged 7-17, with police officers and other caring individuals within our community. This is accomplished through recreation and educational programs in order to foster long-term, positive relationships through mentorship.
TPD Cadets
Are you interested in Law Enforcement? If so, the TPD Cadet program is just for you! The Tallahassee Police Department Cadet Program is for young males and females, ages 14-21, that have an interest in law enforcement. After passing the 12-week Academy, participants can:
- Go on 4 ride-alongs per month
Ride-alongs allow cadets to go on an officer's shift and observe what an officer does daily. - Receive scenario-based law enforcement training.
Every year, the Florida Association of Police Explorers (FAPE) hosts a state competition. At each competition, about 40 Explorer Posts compete in law enforcement-based scenarios. The different scenarios include: Bomb Threat, Traffic Stop, Traffic Accident, Crisis Intervention, First Aid, Crime Scene, Search & Arrest and In Progress. Throughout the year, training is provided on these specific topics, as well as Officer Safety and basic Legal Guidelines. - Help out at volunteer events
The TPD Cadets work traffic for many City and private organization events, including Springtime Tallahassee, Parade of Lights, the Red Hills Triathlon, Heart Walk, March of Dimes...and many more.
Juvenile Civil Citation Program
This program is available for juveniles who have committed various misdemeanor offenses such as retail theft, criminal mischief and battery. Instead of being arrested, juveniles are issued civil citations and must complete a number of community service hours and tasks as directed by the officer who issued the citation.
ARAP (At Risk Assistance Program)
ARAP is an intervention program serving juveniles with no more than two arrests who are considered "at-risk". The previous arrests cannot have been for violent crimes. Program participants must be less than fourteen and a half years of age and attend middle school. The program serves twenty juveniles and utilizes an interagency case management approach to coordinating services within the local juvenile justice system. ARAP includes parents in this case management process. ARAP program success is defined by the client incurring no arrests during the six-month duration of the program.
RADAR (Responding Against Delinquency and Recidivism Program)
RADAR is a partnership between TPD and the Department of Juvenile Justice, District 2. The program's mission is to provide intensive supervision and intervention for juveniles under community control or aftercare sanctions. RADAR teams our officers with juvenile probation officers to conduct home visits. The team ensures that the juveniles are abiding by their curfews and other court sanctions. Information gathered during these visits is utilized by the court and DJJ in determining which juveniles remain under supervision or complete sanctions.
The Alternative Learning Center, School Resource Officer
TPD partnered with Leon County Schools to place a specially trained investigator at The Alternative Learning Center. The Alternative Learning Center serves students who have been expelled, are chronically disruptive or placed at second chance as part of court sanctions. The Second Chance SRO has a dual role on campus. The SRO is responsible for traditional law enforcement duties on campus along with acting as a special resource to students. The SRO is a vital link to TPD's attention to prevention and investigation of juvenile related offenses.
SHOCAP (Serious Habitual Offender Comprehensive Action Program)
SHOCAP is a program designed to provide intense supervision to the habitual juvenile offenders living within Leon County. TPD's SHOCAP program is based on a national SHOCAP model. TPD has improved the national model by adding two enhanced community control case managers to the TPD staff. Both case managers have attained a Masters in Social Work and have several years of experience working with "at-risk" youth. SHOCAP provides the highest level of coordination between members of the juvenile justice system. For those SHOCAP clients who continue to commit crimes, the information sharing process leads to more timely arrests. Juveniles are placed in SHOCAP based upon a number of points assigned by the client's number of arrests. The point system is based on the number and severity of arrests as determined by Florida Statutes.