Bigs in Blue participants—Little Brother Robert and Big Brother Ryan, a match from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Virginia—enjoy their weekly relationship-building activities.

Photo provided by BBBSA. Photographer: Paula Greenway

In communities across the country, relationships between police and the communities they serve are strained. The challenges are complex, and many are left feeling that the solutions will always be out of reach. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) is using the power of mentoring to improve relations between police and communities through a national police-youth mentoring program called Bigs in Blue.

Law enforcement officers volunteer as “Bigs,” and are matched in one-on-one relationships with “Littles” in the communities they serve. They build relationships by spending time together and sharing experiences.

The Bigs in Blue program has been operating successfully for several years in jurisdictions, including Miami, FL; St. Louis, MO; Baltimore, MD; Newark, NJ; Milwaukee, WI; and Roanoke, VA. BBBSA is funding the expansion of the program to even more jurisdictions. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles just launched their Bigs in Blue program through a partnership with the Los Angeles Rams. Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region, the affiliate in Philadelphia, PA, will begin their Bigs in Blue program at several elementary schools in January 2017.

In Roanoke, Big Brother Ryan—a detective with the Roanoke Police Department—visits his Little Brother Robert weekly. They spend time doing homework and being active. Ryan says he remembers when he and other officers first started visiting their Littles. Some of the kids in the classroom were fearful. Over time, even the kids who weren’t matched with officers got to know the Bigs who came to their school. Now, they look forward to seeing them at school and in the neighborhood. Big Brother Ryan says the program has been positive for him, too. “When you’re a police officer, a lot of times, you deal with the 1 percent of people who are negative. You can get jaded,” he said. “Ninety-nine percent of our interactions are with that 1 percent. That’s why I wanted to do this. Being in the neighborhood, with the kids, you get to see how good people are.” Ryan and Robert’s story was featured in a recent Today Show segment.

BBBSA has three active grant awards with OJJDP to mentor nearly 27,000 youth who may have incarcerated parents, and/or be at risk, be high risk, be underserved, or be system involved. These grants will support BBBSA in helping to reduce youth delinquency, recidivism, substance use, truancy, and other problem behaviors. BBBSA will use its own assessment and survey vehicles to collect data, measure outcomes, and improve technical assistance.

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Visit the website of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America for more information about the Bigs in Blue program.

Former Tampa, FL, Mayor Pam Iorio is president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. She has led the organization since 2014. Points of view or opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.