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.

Civil Citation Program TPD Cadets RADAR
Police Athletic League At Risk Assistance Program SHOCAP
     

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.

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.