Q&A
NYPD's youth outreach efforts to combat subway surfing
1:12:12
·
83 sec
Council Member Yusef Salaam inquires about the role of NYPD youth coordination officers (YCOs) and school safety agents in combating subway surfing. Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta explains the department's current and planned efforts in youth outreach and education.
- NYPD has engaged with nearly 3,000 students so far through school visits
- YCOs will play a significant role in engaging youth at problem stations before they board trains
- The department is partnering with school guidance counselors for more effective outreach
- Gulotta emphasizes the personal importance of this issue, drawing from discussions with his wife, who is a guidance counselor
- Plans include expanding partnerships between YCOs and guidance counselors to address subway surfing
Yusef Salaam
1:12:12
And also, you know, the NYPD has extensive interaction with youth on a daily basis, particularly the department's youth coordination officers and the school safety agents.
1:12:23
Do these officers play any role in combating youth risk taking behaviors youthful risk taking behaviors like subway surfing?
Joseph Gulotta
1:12:31
Yeah.
1:12:31
I I can say that.
1:12:32
We, we're getting to the schools.
1:12:34
I think we talked to close to 3,000 kids so far with more planned.
1:12:37
Me and Mark have discussed that as well.
1:12:38
Our YCO is gonna be a big part of that as we go forward at the problem stations, at the location, engage youth before they get on the train.
1:12:46
That's a key component to this.
1:12:48
And secondly, when it when it comes to education, us going to the schools, for me, it's it's personal.
1:12:53
I go home every day.
1:12:54
My wife's a guidance counselor in a middle school, in a public school here, and we have these discussions every single day about the youth at that particular age.
1:13:02
So over the dinner table, we have these frank discussions.
1:13:06
She's talking to these kids, working with these kids.
1:13:08
So I think I have a very good insight into what we have going on.
1:13:11
And me and Mark discussed that the guidance counselors going forward could be a big component of what we have going on as we partner up with YCOs.
1:13:18
And I will go back to my wife being a guidance counselor.
1:13:20
She works extensively with her YCOs.
1:13:22
So I think that's a valuable tool we're gonna we're gonna put in place going forward and keep it going.
Yusef Salaam
1:13:31
Just gonna pause for a second for chair Rivera to recognize the school.
