Modesto PD’s youth outreach gets praise, some concerns at police board meeting
At Wednesday’s Community Police Review Board meeting, the Police Department shared how it’s working to support local youth.
Sean Dodge, the department’s student engagement officer, leads efforts around youth outreach and intervention. A 28-year veteran of the force, Dodge said he was preparing for retirement when he discovered a renewed sense of purpose working with kids.
“I would have done this for free,” Dodge said, during his presentation to the board.
Through the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant, which funds efforts to reduce violence, Dodge has been able to focus his work at seven targeted schools: Mark Twain Junior High, Robertson Road, Kirschen, James Marshall, Burbank, Franklin and Aspire University Charter.
Still, his reach extends much further. On a typical week, Dodge said he visits up to 20 schools to run a variety of youth programs, including 10k With a Cop, the Healthy Room Project and Kindergarten Cop.
Launched in 2017, 10k With a Cop began at 10 Modesto schools and now serves 2,000 youth across 22 campuses. The program blends running with character development, helping students set goals. Dodge said it also brings families into the fold, with parents cheering from the sidelines and participating in community events. The program, he added, strengthens community bonds, promotes physical health and builds trust between youth and law enforcement.
In Kindergarten Cop, Dodge spends a week as a kindergartner at the end of the school year, participating in daily classroom activities like fingerpainting and recess. The goal, he said, is to build early trust with students and show that police officers are approachable and part of the community.
The Healthy Room Project partners law enforcement with community organizations to give at-risk youth bedroom makeovers in a day. Since its launch in June 2022, the program has transformed the spaces of 114 young people in Modesto.
“Everything is brand new that we provide these kids. I’m not giving them hand-me-downs, I’m giving them brand-new furniture,” Dodge said.
Since 2018, 10k With a Cop and the Healthy Room Project have partnered with more than 50 organizations across Stanislaus County and the greater Central Valley.
Dodge also shared data from Mark Twain Junior High. From 2021 to 2024, suspension rates at the school dropped from 11% to 5%, attendance improved by 6.5% and student referrals for mental health services declined by 35%.
“There’s probably other resources being poured into it, but I can guarantee you, being over there has made a difference, and I’ll take full credit for being part of that, or the officers that are showing up now and being a part of that,” Dodge said.
As student engagement officer, Dodge also helps identify families who could benefit from the programs and works to expand their reach. The presentation concluded with a video montage of children reacting with joy to their newly transformed bedrooms.
Police Review Board members appeared deeply moved, with some brought to tears by the video montage.
“I really think you’re on the right track,” said board member Wendy Byrd, who is on the subcommittee to reduce youth arrest rates.
“It’s sweet to watch the children and the tears and their parents’ joy, but I think there’s a tremendous benefit to see the officers getting involved, specifically from the get go,” board member Frank Damrell said.
Some members of the public, however, seemed less impressed.
Anthony Drobnick, a teacher at Gregori High School, pointed out that his school has seen comparable downward trends in suspension and absence rates without the presence of a student engagement officer.
“I attribute a lot more of that to students reacclimating to the school setting after the COVID-19 pandemic than I would for the particular programs, but again … I can’t know, which is why I want more information,” Drobnick said.
Drobnick, who serves on his school’s safety committee, said that when he asked students what would make them feel safer, none of them suggested having more police on campus — especially not officers carrying weapons.
Still, he expressed optimism about the programs and said he would like to see more of the MPD’s budget allocated to initiatives like these, or to similar programs led by non-police professionals.
Another public commenter, from the Central Valley Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Coalition, shared similar views, praising the intent of the programs but questioning whether police officers are the right people to lead them. He suggested social workers, teachers or public health professionals might be better suited for the work.
He also raised concerns that these programs don’t address the root causes of distrust between law enforcement and certain communities. With gun violence being the leading cause of death among youth, he said, having armed officers on campus doesn’t necessarily make students feel safer.
“We shouldn’t be having guns around kids at all,” he said.
One study found that schools with a regular police presence had arrest rates twice as high as comparable campuses without officers. Reducing youth arrest rates — especially among Latinos — is a goal of the Community Police Review Board.
Attendee Katharina Beeler, also a member of CVBIPOCC, expressed concerns about the guns visible in the videos shared by Dodge and also argued that this type of work should be carried out by other professionals, not law enforcement.
“While this is a great program, we need to also [ask], do the cops need to be doing certain things, or do we need to be putting that money elsewhere?” Beeler said.
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM.
