Taylor Holtzheimer!

CCE 578. Winter 2013!

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Gaming With Cops Day !
A Program Proposal To Connect Bellingham Police with Homeless Youth!

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For this program proposal, I chose the Interactive Model as presented in the text Program Planning for Adult Learners by Cafarrella & Daffron, 2013. The authors differentiate the Interactive
Model from other models as being more flexible, people-oriented, culturally sensitive, and practical. The Interactive Model is based on eleven components as well as five areas of foundational
knowledge. The components are: Scheduling, Budgets, Details, Marketing, Needs Assessment,
Support, Context, Goals and Objectives, Instruction, Learning Transfer, and Evaluation. The
foundational knowledge areas are: Technology, Adult Learning, Power and Interest, Cultural Differences, and Relationship Building. My hope is to address each of these components and
foundational knowledge areas in the description of my program. This model is capable of meeting needs that fall outside of more traditional linear models of planning. It provides a set of focuses, all of which are given equal importance.!

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As I describe my hypothetical program, I shall reference the components of the Interactive Model as major topics. Though there may seem to be a general chronology of how they are addressed within this paper, they were in fact researched more generally and as needs arose, in
keeping with the spirit of the Interactive Model itself. I did not follow the Checklist for the model
that is available in Program Planning for Adult Learners by Cafarrella & Daffron, 2013, as it
seemed more to apply to the real construction of a program on the ground. Since my program is
only hypothetical, the use of such a structured checklist seemed irrelevant.!

The program I am proposing is a Gaming With Cops Day, which would be an outdoor/sidewalk
event in which police officers would make themselves available to play video games with the
downtown community. The target community would be the homeless and at-risk youth that congregate downtown near the Whatcom Transit Authority Bus Depot and across the street on Railroad Avenue. The primary goal would be to build relationships between that at-risk community
and the police, as well as build and strengthen important networks of information for future police investigations. !

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To understand the context as it relates specifically to Bellingham, we should first look at three
theoretical approaches to understanding relationships between citizens and the police as proposed by Maartin Van Craen in his article, Explaining Majority and Minority Trust in the Police
from Justice Quarterly, Volume 30, Issue 6, 2013. Social capital theory, performance theory,
and the procedural justice-based model are theoretical frameworks that provide elements to explain the levels of citizen trust in the police. These approaches each supply some context to
issues of distrust and high emotion regarding interactions between the at-risk youth downtown
and the Bellingham Police Department. !

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Social Capital Theory revolves around the notion of earned trust though the reduction of uncertainties and the building of communication networks. The basic idea behind most definitions of
social capital [is] that well-functioning social networks and communities lay the foundation for
the emergence of norms of reciprocity and trust (as cited in Van Craen, 2013). The building of
social capital through enhanced, clear and open communication with citizenry regarding policies and available networks builds a more positive and productive relationship between officers
and citizens.!

The second theoretical approach, Performance Theory, is founded on the notion that citizens
hold police accountable for their feelings of safety and comfort. The central concept of this approach is that citizens will trust the authorities less according to (their perception of) the extent
of social phenomena for which they hold the authorities (partly) accountable, or (their perception
of) the actual services provided by the authorities fail to meet their expectations. Or conversely:
the more the citizens see their performance expectations met, the more confidence they will
place in the authorities. (Van Craen, 2013)!

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Lastly, the Procedural Justice-Based Model, is focused on peoples opinions and feelings regarding police officers use of just procedures and whether or not they are seen as fair or respectful in their work of law enforcement. The core argument of the procedural justice-based
model is thus that citizens in the first place expect the police to treat everyone with justice and
dignity, to respect the rights of citizens and to be responsive to their concerns (cited in Van
Craen, 2013).!

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As we consider the implications of each of these approaches we should also understand the
general lifestyle for the at-risk youth who are the target of the program. In a 2008 article depicting a field study of homeless youth in San Jose, California, by Schwartz, Sorenson, Ammerman,
and Bard, homeless youth are described as being isolated from the primary sources of guidance, structure, and support afforded teens in our societyschool and work environments, family, and stable peer and adult friendships (Schwartz et al, 2008). The results, as stated in the
article seemed to closely represent the larger population of homeless youth in the
country (Schwartz et al, 2008). In addition, [e]ighty-eight percent of the participants reported
some form of current drug and alcohol use (Schwartz et al, 2008). The hard times felt by
homeless youth are very real and often self-perpetuating through sustained substance abuse.

Along with this lifestyle comes a high rate of police contact. Of the youth interviewed, 96% reported police contact (as was true for both case studies), with 40% reporting frequent police
contact, and 74% said they had previously been incarcerated in Juvenile Hall. (Schwartz et al,
2008). An informal survey of the homeless and at-risk youth activity in downtown Bellingham
seemed to adhere to these statistics. A video is available on YouTube, simply titled Bellingham
Youth, under the following URL: http://youtu.be/XaZ73VH9OhU. It shows young adults in
Bellingham, on Railroad Avenue, being asked about their own struggles and what they think of
various political topics. Their behavior, interests, and stories are telling and seemingly representative of homeless and at-risk youth nationally.!

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While considering the issues affecting these youth, we can look again to the theoretical approaches of Social Capital Theory, Performance Theory, and the Procedural Justice-Based
Model. Building relationships with these youth would require clarity and certainty regarding police interaction as well as making aid networks available to them. Relations would perhaps improve if Bellinghams at-risk youth felt more safe on the street and saw that officers were actually working on their behalf to improve that safety. Finally, relations are oft improved when these
youth feel they are fairly treated and respectfully approached by police. !

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Therefore, my program is an effort to meet the needs of both the police and the at-risk youth.
For the police, the program would allow them an informal atmosphere to build relationships with
the citizenry downtown, constructing networks; clarifying their role; clarifying their procedures;
and showing themselves as fellow citizens who have their own wishes and goals. In turn, the atrisk youth may feel that some officers are more approachable, offering a higher sense of safety
and contact, and may also provide a better understanding of police procedures and the law.!

I examined current outreach programs such as National Night Out. National Night Out was developed as a crime prevention program that emphasizes building a partnership between the police and the community. Community involvement in crime prevention is generated through a
multitude of local events, such as block parties, cookouts, parades, contests, youth activities,
and seminars (Morris, 2000). Looking for programs that were designed to build bridges between police and at-risk youth populations, I found many that target youth in general, some of
which used video games as a component. There was a monthly event held at a library in York,
PA in which police gather in plain clothes to play video games with, mostly under 18 (Opilo,
2010). Another resource was a how-to guide for librarians to put on video gaming events at their
libraries to encourage youth patronage (Schmidt, 2006). Specifically, I couldnt find information,
resources, or record of events such as the one Im proposing, but could utilize the relevant information from similar events held for different reasons and targeting different populations.!

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Video games were chosen as the medium for two reasons. First, they provide a diverse set of
activities that can be confined to a smaller space while still appealing to a range of attitudes and
preferences. The second is that there is data to show that there is a demographic linkage in interest according to age in regard to video games that may be common between the homeless
youth and the police. Demographic sales and usage data released every year from The Entertainment Software Association show that 58% of Americans play video games, with a third of all
players between 18 and 35 years old. According to the National Network for Youth, statistics
from 2001 show 12% of the homeless population are between the ages of 18 and 24. In
Bellingham, a minimum of 14% of the general homeless and unstably housed people are between the ages of 16 and 24, with the median age of homeless in Bellingham being 34, according to the Whatcom County Coalition to End Homelessness 2013 Annual Report. Some informal
studies by establishments such as Old Town Christian Ministries in Bellingham have put unac-

companied youth numbers as high as 437 in Bellingham in 2007, with many youth congregating
around the downtown area and particularly on Railroad Avenue (otcmoutreach.org). While the
Bureau of Justice Statistics does not report average age of police officers nationwide, informal
estimates of the averages of police age lie within 22 to 35 years old. Thus, it is statistically likely
without more dedicated polling on the topic, that more than 50% of the police officers and more
than 50% of the homeless youth would consider themselves gamers. While understanding that
access to video games for homeless and at-risk youth may be limited, the reports mentioned
above indicate that a significant number of the homeless youth population do maintain unstable
and informal residencies within the low-income households of friends and acquaintances. Also,
a survey reported in USA Today in 2003 claimed that [p]eople in homes where the annual income is less than $35,000 a year spend about 50% more time a week playing video games than
those in homes with incomes above $74,000 (USA Today, 2003). This would indicate that
there is still a reasonable likelihood that homeless and at-risk youth within the age range of 16
and 24 would still have access to or a history of playing video games.!

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An important aspect of the event will be the general tone of mutual respect that will be required
for relationship building to begin. Certain concepts will have to be taken seriously by both the
homeless and at-risk youth in attendance as well as by the police officers. The youth may feel
frightened to attend for fear of investigation, citation, or arrest by the police and the police may
feel apprehensive about the attitude and demeanor of the youth. From the side of the police,
there have been precedents set in the past for relaxing certain investigative procedures during
outreach events, such as with the Seattle police during Seattles annual Hempfest, which saw
officers generally ignoring possession violations during the event and instead handing specially
labeled bags of Doritos that outlined recent legal changes (Christian Science Monitor, 2013).
Such an attitude might relax trust issues stemming from the Procedural Justice-Based Model

described earlier. In turn, the attending youth could be provided with guidelines similar to Seattles Respect: Youth Guide to Seattle Laws and Police Procedures which explains the importance of being respectful to officers as well as offers an assurance of rights (Seattle Police
Dept., 2010). If simple efforts can be made by all stakeholders to create an atmosphere of fun
and respect, then relationship building can blossom.!

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This proposed event aims to shift the perception of police officers by homeless youth in Bellingham from one of fear to one of understanding, seeing legitimacy and honor in their work as public servants. A growing body of research indicates that the perceived legitimacy of the police
plays an important role in promoting citizens compliance with the law, cooperation with police,
willingness to collaborate with police, help-seeking behavior, and crime-reporting practices in
the USA (as cited in Kotchel et al, 2011). For these reasons, establishing pathways of communication and opportunities for interactivity is important for the safety of the entire population.!

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While data, as Ive described alone, exists to support the effectiveness of such an event, no
formal needs assessment has been conducted. Such an assessment would necessarily include
both the police interests and the homeless youth interests. With the police, Chief Clifford Cook
could be contacted and asked his opinion about the idea in general and the problems he would
need addressed in the programs development. Also, officers could be individually polled regarding their feelings about such an event as well as the games, activities, and services they would
like to see incorporated. The polling of homeless youth interests will be more difficult, with parts
of the population being transient and/or hard to locate. For them, less formal polling over a
longer period of time should yield a large enough sample of information to use for program design. They would be asked questions similar to the officers, such as if they think such an event
is viable, what games they would like to play there, etc. The assessment then serves to market

the event to some of the more hard to reach or inconsistently available members of that community. While communication with the Bellingham Police Department should be straightforward
due to established official channels of communication, the homeless youth assessment will require more specialized etiquette and understanding and may require special hiring or volunteerism.!

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While the Bellingham Police Department may be able to act in a staff capacity for the event as
well, it would be best to prepare for them to be able to relax and just attend, especially as they
are likely off-duty. Volunteer staff will need to be acquired. The Human Services Program at
Western Washington University could likely be asked to present the event as an opportunity for
field experience at multiple levels. An official proposal could be made to them as well as a general call for volunteers among the programs student body through poster advertising. Also,
members of the Alternative Library on Railroad may have interest in helping with the event.
Catering can be provided by various businesses such as the nearby Port-of Subs which can deliver large amounts of food at reasonable prices, or through potential donations from willing
downtown vendors on Railroad Avenue such as: Casa Que Pasa, Fiamma Burger, etc. Catering
is potentially the primary funding requirement for the event, assuming the police officers would
be donating their time. Funding for the event might be possible through a number of government
granting agencies such as Healthcare for the Homeless or PATH (http://www.hhs.gov/homeless/
grants). Another fund requirement will be for advertising. Fliers, posters, and an advertisement
in The Bellingham Herald would be the most likely venues of marketing besides word of mouth.
Fliers can be distributed to youth downtown, posters can be placed up and down Railroad Avenue, in The Alternative Library, outside Everyday Music, etc., and an ad in The Bellingham
Herald would serve the purpose of legitimizing the event as well as promoting it to the community at large. The technology involved in the event can be largely donated, potentially through lo-

cal vendors such as Reset Games who hold regular gaming events and can supply expert technology support staff. In informal communications with the management, they seemed willing to
use such opportunities to promote their local business as an active community member, especially considering their competition with the local box stores and national video game sales
chains.!

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In the event itself, some consideration of learning transfer is important as it relates to the potential of homeless youth learning more about police communication, procedures, and identity.
Also, as it relates to the police learning new networks of names and information. While it might
be easy to put things in print, such as the Respect handbook mentioned above, the majority of
learning should occur spontaneously in a positive atmosphere so as to not seem forced or
overtly institutional or authoritarian, which could likely intimidate the homeless youth in attendance. Instead, an informal humanist approach to listening and communicating will be advised
to officers before the event, promoting the notion that just being a listener and not an investigator may serve to alter youth perceptions of officer roles. Hopefully, there will be a number of personal stories shared and defenses lowered.!

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Below is an outline of some of the specifics of the event.!

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Time: Spring/Summer - early day, possibly 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM!
Location: Outdoors on sidewalk of Railroad Avenue near compliant vendor.!
Staff: Volunteer (Human Services Program students / Alternative Library personnel)!
Games and Devices: Individual donation and in association with local vendor such as Reset
Games!

Basic Gameplay Structure: Four or six game stations (Xbox 360) linked for LAN play. Players
compete in teams of 2, with one youth andone officer per team. Teams would then rotate after a
set number of games.!
Games Played: Dependent on preliminary assessment, but likely Halo 4, Madden NFL, and
Forza Racing!
Incentive: Prizes for winning teams.!
Rules and Guidelines: Made available on large posters attached to gaming tent in conjunction
with police and community needs!
Food: Catered by local vendors!
Funding: Provided by donation and/or grant!
Evaluation: Informal exit polling at the event as well as follow-up polling after a few weeks to
examine long-term effects on youth and police.!

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In reflection, considering this event has provided me perspective on the depth of the homeless
youth problem in Bellingham as well as highlighted the lack of targeted outreach. This course
and project have provided me with the tools, model, and philosophy for describing and clearly
rationalizing such an event to others. In the future, given time, I may attempt to actually organize such an event.!

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References!

Cafarella, R. and Daffron, S. (2013). Planning Programs for Adult Learners: A Practical guide for
Educators, Trainers, and Staff Developers, Third Edition. San-Francisco: Jossey-Bass.!

Van Craen, M. (2012, January 13). Explaining Majority and Minority Trust in the Police. Justice
Quarterly, Vol. 30, Issue 6, p. 1042.!

Schwartz, M., Sorenson, H.K., Ammerman, S., Bard, E. (2008, August). Exploring the Relationship Between Homelessness and Delinquency: A Snapshot of a Group of Homeless Youth in
San Jose, California. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, Volume 25, Issue 4, pp
255-269.!

Morris, R. (2000, May). National Night Out: Building Police and Community Partnerships To
Prevent Crime. Bulletin from the Field: Practitioner Perspectives. !

Opilo, E. (2010). York kids, police bond with video games: An outreach program pairs children
with officers at Martin Library. Daily Record/Sunday News. Retrieved from http://www.inyork.com/local/ci_15184152!

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Schmidt, A. (2006, June). Are You Game? School Library Journal, Vol. 52 Issue 6, p52-54!
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The Entertainment Software Association. (2013). 2013 Sales, Demographic, and Usage Data:
Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry. Retrieved from http://
www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/esa_ef_2013.pdf!

National Network for Youth. (2004). Unaccompanied Youth: Fast Facts. Retrieved from http://
www.nn4youth.org/system/files/FactSheet_Unacompanied_Youth_0.pdf!

Whatcom County Coalition to End Homelessness 2013 Annual Report. (2013). A Home for
Everyone. Retrieved from http://www.whatcomcounty.us/health/wchac/pdf/2013_homeless_person_count_report.pdf!

Phifier, T. (2007). Homeless Teens Find a Safe Hangout at Amy`s Place. Old Town Christian
Ministries. Retrieved from http://www.amysplaceforyouth.org/shownews.asp?newsid=56!

USA Today. (2003, April 1). Survey: More video games played in low-income homes. Reuters.
Retrieved from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/techreviews/games/2003-04-01-game-income_x.htm!

Knickerbocker, B. (2013, August 18). Police at Seattle marijuana Hempfest: Hey dude, want
some Doritos?. Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2013/0818/Police-at-Seattle-marijuana-Hempfest-Hey-dude-want-some-Doritos!