East Side's Guest Speaker Sgt. T. Baden of the New Britain Police Department Youth Bureau:

With four Detectives assign to her staff she explained the hardships her department members must encounter. Handling an approximate 150 cases per year and having each of the four detectives handle a minimum of 25 case load at all times averaging of 500 arrest per year. Handling Court cases of child abuse, and physical harm to children with broken legs, bones and etc.

Another major issue are the school students creating gangs fights with other gangs after school. Taking a minimum of three arrest before the courts may detain them at the Hartford Juvenile Center however we cannot go into the schools but we do work closely with the Assistant Superintendent of the Board of Education.

We cannot arrest any youths under the age of 17 and that state law is soon being changed to under 18 years of age. The children knows those facts so we cannot threaten them into conforming with proper actions or changing their wrong actions or directions because they tell each other that there isn't anything they can do to us.    Even if we should steal a car and crash it.

For the most part many of these children lack parental guidance at home and are starving for some sort of guidance & structure and if they wind up in the juvenile center they welcome being told when to eat breakfast, when to study, and when to go to bed. They are not really bad kids but need guidance and structure.

We work with the friendship center, the Klinberg family center, and big brothers & sisters.

When the Vice Squad arrest the parent of youngsters we bring the children to the station and watch them until the department of DCF take over their care.

One question asked by an attendee was how do they handle bullying? It is usually two kids fighting with a gang of kids watching the fight. When the police arrive they move on to another street leaving very little action for the police to take especially if they actually didn't see the alleged occurrence.

She explained that the parents have the right to discipline their children and even slap them when needed. The thought that the children can call the police to have them arrested is false unless the parent has caused bodily harm to his/her child.

Another comment made by a person recalling his childhood days with his mother telling him wait until your father gets home.

The police youth department detectives must be commended for all the awful situations they must handle each day finding it hard to forget what they had to endure during their shifts.

frank smith