Message From the Director

Community violence is widely recognized as a major public health problem. It affects all levels of society, and there are no simple remedies. Children exposed to violence on a regular basis are potentially more vulnerable to a number of detrimental outcomes, including poor school performance, psychological disturbances, and later violent and criminal behaviors.

Out of concern over the escalating violent crime in the greater New Haven, Connecticut, area and its impact on children, the Yale University Child Study Center developed the Child Development-Community Policing (CD–CP) Program. The subject of this bulletin, Community Outreach through Police in Schools, is an intervention implemented by this program.

The CD–CP Program relies on collaboration among school personnel, mental health providers, and police to mitigate children’s exposure to violence in the community. This bulletin will be of interest not only to school administrators, teachers, and school-based mental health professionals, but also to police departments, particularly those practicing community policing.