Youth Programs

In crime prevention, there is no more important task than keeping the next generation from slipping into a life of crime, and here at the Spartanburg Police Department, we take our responsibility to be a presence in the lives of our City's young people very seriously. Whether it's educating school children about the dangers of gangs or giving teens interested in law enforcement careers a chance for real-world experience, our department strives to be a positive influence in the lives of our City's youth.

Our Programs

Officer Friendly

The Officer Friendly program seeks to humanize children's perceptions of police officers and their work, improve rapport between children and police, increase awareness of safety and civic responsibility, and reduce crime involving children. The program involves visits by police officers to school classrooms and follow-up activities conducted by teachers.

School Resource Officers

School Resource Officers help students see another, humanizing side of police officers that some might not otherwise be accustomed to. The officers serve as liaisons between the police department and the schools they serve, educating and advising students in those schools. All resource officers carry an additional certification through the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in order to work within the schools.