Judge Steven Teske of Clayton County, Georgia recently published an op-ed in Juvenile Justice Information Exchange which lays out the benefits of having a cooperative agreement to to reduce the number of school arrests. Clayton was the first county in the country to adopt what is now called the Positive Student Engagement Model for School Policing, and since the measure’s induction in 2004, arrests in local schools have gone down by 83 percent. Teske feels, and many agree, that PSEMSP is much more effective than standard zero tolerance policies upheld by the majority of school districts, which are flawed not in theory but in practice. While the intentions of such policies are pure, in application they end up being over broad and actually causing more harm than good. Most educators and law enforcers equate zero tolerance with immediate suspension, expulsion, or arrest, without any consideration of the severity of the crime. In this way, officers and administrators fail to distinguish between immature behavior of an adolescent and delinquent behavior of a criminal mind. As a result, courts get overcrowded and resources that should be reserved for actually dangerous cases end up getting diverted. On the other hand, in Clayton County’s model, law enforcement makes a concerted effort to establish cooperative, trusting relationships with students. Students provide police officers with more information willingly, and a higher number of crimes are prevented and solved. Adults respect the fact that teenager’s brains are still under neurological construction, and they should be shielded from arrest for certain misdemeanor offenses which are typical of youth behavior as their capacity to possess a criminal mind is diminished. Only in particular cases when there is sufficient reason to suspect that an offense is masking a more serious underlying issue will harsher punishments, treatments, or periods of supervision be considered. Teske explains that the policy has been effective because educators have finally stopped addressing problems in the same mindset that created them. As he puts it, if the only tool you have at your disposal is a cop, every problem becomes a crime.

1. ZERO
TOLERANCE
IN
THEORY
AND
IN
PRACTICE
Attorney
David
Coolidge
January
28,
2014
Judge
Steven
Teske
of
Clayton
County,
Georgia
recently
published
an
op-­‐ed
in
Juvenile
Justice
Information
Exchange
which
lays
out
the
benefits
of
having
a
cooperative
agreement
to
to
reduce
the
number
of
school
arrests.
Clayton
was
the
first
county
in
the
country
to
adopt
what
is
now
called
the
Positive
Student
Engagement
Model
for
School
Policing,
and
since
the
measure’s
induction
in
2004,
arrests
in
local
schools
have
gone
down
by
83
percent.
Teske
feels,
and
many
agree,
that
PSEMSP
is
much
more
effective
than
standard
zero
tolerance
policies
upheld
by
the
majority
of
school
districts,
which
are
flawed
not
in
theory
but
in
practice.
While
the
intentions
of
such
policies
are
pure,
in
application
they
end
up
being
over
broad
and
actually
causing
more
harm
than
good.
Most
educators
and
law
enforcers
equate
zero
tolerance
with
immediate
suspension,
expulsion,
or
arrest,
without
any
consideration
of
the
severity
of
the
crime.
In
this
way,
officers
and
administrators
fail
to
distinguish
between
immature
behavior
of
an
adolescent
and
delinquent
behavior
of
a
criminal
mind.
As
a
result,
courts
get
overcrowded
and
resources
that
should
be
reserved
for
actually
dangerous
cases
end
up
getting
diverted.
On
the
other
hand,
in
Clayton
County’s
model,
law
enforcement
makes
a
concerted
effort
to
establish
cooperative,
trusting
relationships
with
students.
Students
provide
police
officers
with
more
information
willingly,
and
a
higher
number
of
crimes
are
prevented
and
solved.
Adults
respect
the
fact
that
teenager’s
brains
are
still
under
neurological
construction,
and
they
should
be
shielded
from
arrest
for
certain
misdemeanor
offenses
which
are
typical
of
youth
behavior
as
their
capacity
to
possess
a
criminal
mind
is
diminished.
Only
in
particular
cases
when
there
is
sufficient
reason
to
suspect
that
an
offense
is
masking
a
more
serious
underlying
issue
will
harsher
punishments,
treatments,
or
periods
of
supervision
be
considered.
Teske
explains
that
the
policy
has
been
effective
because
educators
have
finally
stopped
addressing
problems
in
the
same
mindset
that
created
them.
As
he

2. puts
it,
if
the
only
tool
you
have
at
your
disposal
is
a
cop,
every
problem
becomes
a
crime.
Attorney
David
Coolidge
graduated
at
the
top
of
his
class
from
Duke
University
School
of
Law.
He
has
extensive
misdemeanor
and
felony
criminal
practice,
and
has
also
represented
thousands
of
clients
facing
speeding
tickets
and
other
moving
violations
with
The
Coolidge
Law
Firm
in
Raleigh,
NC.
David
Coolidge
is
also
an
active
member
of
a
number
of
the
state’s
legal
organizations,
including
the
North
Carolina
Bar
Association,
Wake
County
Bar
Association,
Wake
County
Academy
of
Criminal
Trial
Lawyers,
and
North
Carolina
Advocates
for
Justice.