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JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 49 Now, when we check our school enrollment, the youth normally of the delinquency age, junior high school and high school, at the same time we had a 3 percent increase in juvenile arrests we had a 9.1 in- crease in the enrollment numerically of youth in our high schools and junior high schools, which I think may be more or less a tribute to the agency than it is a tribute to the community. One of the things that I think I might mention, and which I think is very pertinent, is that we are finding that there is a real eagerness on the part of youth to be involved in that very democratic process, to be involved in planning for affairs that affect them. In our 94 coordinating councils throughout the county they have developed a youth coordinating council where high school youths are meeting and are taking res]:>onsibility for sharing, and how they can contribute constructively to community betterment. I think it is developing future community leaders, and we have found that the youths have a real eagerness to participate. And I think when we face the drop of figures in many of our youth problems and so forth we must realize that youth of the high school age has a real potential and will earnestly accept the challenge if we in the field can provide it for them. Chairman Kefauver. Mr. Lane, are there any questions you wish to ask Mr. Sanders ? Mr. Lane. Yes. Mr. Sanders, you said that these young people would not respond to a building ty])e program and you had to go out into the streets and invite them to come in. Mr. Sanders. Yes. Mr. Lane. Do you mean that that is a particular type of youngster, or would you mind elaborating on that situation ? Chairman Kefau^^r. Let's talk louder. Nobody can hear what is going on here. Mr. Sanders. The question was whether we found that we did have to go to meet the youth rather than utilize the existing facilities or expect them to come in. That was very consistently a factor, yes, sir. As I mentioned, the gang activity that we referred to, involving the minority group youth, is also related to the youth in the less dense areas of the community. These youths were never oriented into being personally able to feel that they could successfully participate in constructive recreational programs and programs of other types. They felt that they were not wanted, and they felt that tliey did not belong, and they felt less secure. And they wanted to belong to a larger group as something to be attached to. And it was very necessary to go right out and meet the youtlis and accept them where they were with their existing problems, establish tlie relationship, and then use that gradually to work with them and develop a confidence and a willingness to accept some of these other things that ai'e more readily available to people of average means in our community. Chairman Kefau\t.r. Thank you very much for your statement, Mr. Sanders. We appreciate your telling us about what you ai-e doing. Our next witness is Chief R. E. Parker, chief of police of Pomona, Calif. I swore Chief Parker of Los Angeles, and I tliink I had better swear you, too.