Full Notification

The Redwood City Police Department has launched a new program known as the Student Community Advisory Network (SCAN), which creates a weekly forum to meet with local high school students in small groups and gather their ideas and concerns.

The program is part of a larger effort to develop a deeper understanding of all segments of the community which the Department serves, including those which may otherwise be under served or underrepresented. Other programs such as neighborhood-based town hall meetings and Coffee with Cops, are attended almost exclusively by adults. "Our youth community plays an important role in the way our neighborhoods thrive, so it's important for us to provide them a forum where they can tell us what we need to hear," said Redwood City Police Chief JR Gamez about his Department's new program. "Through this new collaboration with youth, we'll be able to take their feedback to our officers so they'll have yet another perspective to consider as they deliver services throughout the City. It also affords us another great opportunity to partner with our locals schools."

SCAN weekly discussions are chaired by a police captain and focus on youth perceptions of policing practices, concerns about the safety of their own neighborhoods, and even provide them with answers to questions about law enforcement they might not otherwise have a chance to ask. “Collaboration of this nature is a very important and positive step for our students”, said Principal Dr. F.W. Wells of Redwood High, one of the schools participating in the program.

The SCAN program is tentatively scheduled to run until the end of the school year and will resume in fall. Anyone with questions about the SCAN may contact the program facilitator, Captain John Spicer at (650) 780-7130.