2021 Conference: Timmeka Perkins and Michelle LeVere Present “A Fresh S.T.A.R.T. for Youth” and “Learning and Leading Together: Partnerships to Increase Youth Engagement”
Timmeka Perkins has served as the Anne Arundel County Police Department’s Juvenile/Victim Assistance Program Director since 2016, overseeing all juvenile operations including four frontline youth diversion programs. She is also the County’s Handle With Care Coordinator. Prior to 2016 she was a tireless advocate in both the public and non-profit sectors of the fields of domestic violence and child welfare. She received her M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration from Colorado State University in 2021 and graduated from Marshall University with her B.A. in Counseling in 2012. Perkins received the University’s Woman of the Year award for her research on best practices in the implementation of Batterer Intervention Programs and efforts to bring Bystander Intervention programs to campus.
Corporal Michelle LeVere is a five-year veteran of the Anne Arundel County Police Department. She is currently assigned to the Community Relations Division. She assists with all aspects of frontline youth diversion efforts. Cpl. LeVere is the co-creator of the Fresh START Project, the Department’s pre-arrest diversion program. She is trained in Crisis Intervention, Critical Incident Stress Management, and Mental Health First Aid. Cpl. LeVere will earn her B.S. in Criminal Justice from Penn State University in 2021.
Timmeka and Michelle will share two important sessions. First, they’ll present valuable information about Fresh S.T.A.R.T., an initiative of the Anne Arundel County Police Department designed to promote the Safe, Trauma-Informed, Accountable, Restorative, and Transparent handling of juvenile offenses. The program is a pre-arrest, universal, graduated response to low-level offenses rooted in restorative justice designed to decriminalize behaviors while holding students accountable and keeping schools safe, reduce racial and ethnic disparities in charging, and provide early intervention and services to youth impacted by trauma, mental health, and/or substance abuse needs. Second, recognizing that youth voice – especially the voice of minority youth – is a vital part of conversations regarding race and the justice system, the Anne Arundel County Police Department created a Minority Youth Advisory Council. This Council invited underrepresented youth, age 14-18, to meet with members of law enforcement monthly to improve police-community relationships. The group focuses on education, advocacy and service to the community. Youth provide input on what they see as needs, gaps in services, effective ways to affect change, etc. For example, the Council provided insight to state legislators and school board members on views and recommendations on School Resource Officers and other legislation being heard. The Minority Youth Advisory Council has paved the way for enhanced collaboration between the Department, the school system and the community—creating partnerships and increased opportunities for conversation and programming. In this presentation, the Council facilitators and a youth representative seek to explain how the program came about and what we’ve learned along the way. Timmeka and Michelle will share more details about this innovative program.
Education Administrators, Teachers, School Psychologists/Guidance Counselors, School Resource Officers (SROs), Law Enforcement, Local/State Emergency Managers, Fusion Center Analysts, Crisis Intervention Units, Counselors & Mental Health Specialists, School Social Workers, School Safety Professionals, and other school safety stakeholders interested in attending Timmeka Perkins’ and Michelle LeVere’s presentations should register for the July 2021 MCSS School Safety Summer Conference at http://conference2021.safeschoolsmd.org/.