On Friday, March 28, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. EDT, NACOLE will welcome Lisa H. Thurau and Shelley R. Jackson, from Strategies for Youth (SFY), a national nonprofit training and policy organization dedicated to ensuring best outcomes for youth interacting with law enforcement. The presenters will describe key legal precedent and social science research supporting the need for law enforcement agencies and officers to treat youth differently than they would adults, and how youth-specific law enforcement policies and standards are necessary to protect youth rights, provide officers with support in these encounters, and keep both youth and officers safe. SFY’s recently-developed model policies on police-youth interactions will be introduced, focusing on investigative stops and frisks, Miranda warnings, waiver of rights and youth interrogations, and use of force. Presenters will also discuss how the model policies can be a tool for civilian oversight boards and practitioners when they are called upon to review youth-related complaints against law enforcement, examine law enforcement practices, or provide input on how law enforcement can improve its relationships with youth and their families. Finally, presenters will encourage those involved in civilian oversight, when feasible, to gather information about what youth in their communities are experiencing in law enforcement interactions and to incorporate that information into oversight work.

Lisa H. Thurau, Founder and Executive Director, Strategies for Youth, Inc.

Lisa founded SFY in 2010 with the goal of ensuring that officers are equipped with both training and policies based on using developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed, equitable approaches with youth. She built Strategies for Youth from the ground up without formal institutional or foundation support. Lisa, an attorney, has been consulted by state legislators, state agencies, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education on policing’s impacts on youth, as well as policy development, statutory reforms, and developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed, equitable law enforcement policies. Lisa writes and speaks on these topics to a wide array of police, youth-advocates, and legal audiences. She holds degrees in Anthropology from Barnard College and Columbia University. Before becoming an attorney, Lisa worked as a researcher and advocate for reform and improvement of the public education system in New York City. 

Shelley Jackson, Law Enforcement Policies Attorney, Strategies for Youth, Inc.

Shelley has more than 30 years of experience protecting the civil rights of youth, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations. Her work includes policy development and review, litigation and settlement enforcement, and training and technical assistance. Prior to her retirement from federal service in 2020, Shelley worked for three federal civil rights agencies as an attorney, policy analyst, and supervisor, including nearly 10 years as a Deputy Section Chief in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).  She joined Strategies for Youth (SFY) in 2022, working with SFY’s Executive Director to develop and implement the organization’s 12 Model Law Enforcement Policies for Youth Interaction. Shelley is knowledgeable about a wide range of substantive legal protections, including constitutional rights, disability discrimination statutes, special education law, and child welfare requirements. She also has extensive experience conducting training, serving as an internal resource on complex and novel issues, and engaging in public outreach.

To register for the webinar, click the "register" button below.
($25 for NACOLE members; $35 for non-members)

Registration Deadline: Thursday, March 27, 2025, 2:00 p.m. EDT