San Ramon Gets $100K State Grant to Offset Youth Resource Officer's Salary

San Ramon got a six-figure grant from the state to help pay for a youth and community resource officer.

The annual $100,000 grant comes from the State Controller's Office to help pay for preventative youth and community policing.

Locally, the money will pay for some of the $214,650 San Ramon shells out every year for its Community and Youth Resource Officer Mike Schneider. He's the man in charge of policing crimes committed by minors and administering the city's Juvenile Diversion Program, which aims to get law-breaking kids back on track.

The city teams up with schools, parents and others to enforce the youth resource program, according to the San Ramon Police Department website:

The Youth Resource Program is a collaborative effort between the Police Department and the Parks and Community Services Department, in partnership with the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, the California State Youth Employment and Development, parents, local businesses, and the community as a whole. The program was started under the premise of merging a community policing philosophy with the preventive nature of recreation and community services programs. This state grant funded program has a SRPD officer assigned to work with these agencies to provide early intervention and education to those vulnerable youth in middle school and high school.

The goal behind San Ramon's youth resource program is to steer youngsters away from a life of crime. Schneider works with parents and troubled teens to come up with a plan to get kids back on track.

The city outlines the program on its website:

In San Ramon, Juvenile Diversion begins with an assessment meeting involving the child, a parent, the Youth Resource Officer, and a family therapist. The officer and therapist discuss the student’s attitude, school performance, and family problems. Young people who decide to join the program, along with a parent, sign a diversion contract that maps out community service requirements and other requirements for the juvenile to fulfill. The diversion probation typically lasts between six months and a year and often includes a referral to an anger management class, drug and alcohol abuse counseling, or family therapy.

Money is awarded to cities based on population and need, according to a city staff report. The minimum a municipality can receive is $100,000.

City Council on Tuesday accepted and allocated the money. Check out the attached PDF to read the entire staff report.