California Police Chief- Fall 2013 CPCA_2019_Spring Magazine- FINAL | Page 14

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS:
New One-to-One Youth Mentoring Program Strengthens Community Relations
By Corey S. Sianez, MPA, Chief of Police, Buena Park Police Department
The past decade has proven difficult for police agencies across America to fulfill their mission of enforcing
the law and fostering positive relationships with the communities they serve. On a national and local level,
both television and social media accounts of police misconduct have furthered the distrust between police
and the citizens they serve. This lack of trust makes the already difficult task of serving the community
more problematic for police officers. Furthermore, as community members’ trust in their police erodes, so
does the agency’s ability to solve crime, improve quality of life, and recruit future officers.
The Buena Park Police Department has worked
diligently to find opportunities to engage its community in
a positive way and build those lasting relationships that are
needed to have a safe city. The department consulted and
surveyed the community to find out what citizens wanted
for their police department. Overwhelmingly, people
wanted the police to interact with children in a positive
manner. Based on these results, department leadership
developed a five-year strategic plan with youth outreach
identified as a metric to gauge the organization’s success in
its community engagement mission.
In 2018, Buena Park Police Department partnered with
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland
14
California Police Chief | www.californiapolicechiefs.org
Empire to make this desire for youth engagement a reality.
Known for its one-to-one youth mentoring programs,
Big Brothers Big Sisters worked with Buena Park Police
Department to launch its nationally recognized Bigs with
Badges initiative at the local middle school. In its pilot year
locally, the program matched seventh-grade students with
sworn and non-sworn personnel for monthly 90-minute
mentoring sessions. A facilitated curriculum focuses on
productive topics like academic achievement and career
exploration, all while allowing each match to build a strong
and enduring friendship.
Youth participants include students like Jacob, who is
12 years old and has never met his father. Big Brothers Big