SUNNYVALE DPS JUVENILE DIVERSION PROGRAM A MODEL FOR OTHER AGENCIES

SUNNYVALE, Calif. – For more than a decade, Sunnyvale’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) has operated a diversion program for youth who have received citations for California Vehicle Code infractions. These offenses are generally centered around safety issues related to bicycles, skates, skateboarding and unsafe pedestrian activities like jaywalking.

 “Within law enforcement, it isn’t unusual in many cities for officers to not take the time to cite a child on a bike who isn’t wearing a helmet,” explained DPS Lt. Marty Dale. “But we view it as an opportunity not to be passed by. Three-fourths of the kids who get cited turn to the diversion program which gives us a great opportunity to educate them.”

The diversion program – which requires the youth and a parent or guardian attend together – discusses rules, safety and making good choices. One of the most impactful portions of the class, however, is the first-person survivor story, during which participants hear first-hand about the consequences of not following the law.

“The best measure of the program’s effectiveness is the lack of repeat offenders,” said Dale. “We issue about 400 of these types of citations each year. Of the 300 or so youth who go through our course in a year, we only see an extraordinarily small number receiving a second citation.”

One of the most dramatic success stories from DPS involves Frank Chen, who, when he was 13 years old, was cited by DPS for not wearing a helmet while on his bike.  Four months later, Chen was struck while on his bike and dragged under a car on El Camino Real. This time he was wearing a helmet which saved him from critical head injuries or even death.

The Sunnyvale diversion program has become a model program. Other cities are looking to the success of the Sunnyvale diversion program with an eye toward possibly implementing similar programs in other parts of the county.