AURORA | Broaching the topic of the Colorado Revised Statutes with most high school students is likely to lead to one of two scenarios: bored eyes or sweaty palms.
For a rule-bender, it’s the latter. For almost everyone else, the 43-title document comprised of seemingly countless codes and laws is less-than-stimulating reading.
Jacob Lempert wanted to change that.
And that’s why the Rangeview High School senior volunteered to take on the daunting task of combing through the CRS as part of a recently completed project spearheaded by the Aurora Police Department.
Lempert was one of dozens of students from across Aurora who helped assemble the “Empowering” booklet, a nearly 40-page handbook designed to help young people better understand relevant laws and how to properly interact with law enforcement.
“I chose to help with (the CRS) piece because it wasn’t very popular, but it’s a very important one,” Lempert said. “The laws are not written clearly for high school-age kids, so we chose laws that pertain a lot to what kids are getting in trouble for — trespassing, confusion on the new marijuana laws — and put it in simpler terms so that they’d be able to understand it.”
The 39-page booklet contains information on topics such as traffic laws, how to report a crime and sexual harassment. Nearly 20 percent of the pamphlet reviews traffic laws, paying particular attention to street racing, texting while driving, and how to react when pulled over. All of the topics mentioned in the folio include their specific location in either the municipal code or the CRS. Lempert said he consulted with several APD officers during the research process to help him better decipher some of the more complex language.
The impetus for the document began with Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz, who helped create a similar youth manual during his time as the deputy chief of the Seattle Police Department.
“(The Chief) felt that there was a need in our department,” said APD spokeswoman Officer Diana Cooley. “And I think what sets us apart from what’s been done before is we let the youth pick the topics that they wanted to see in this guide, and things that are important to them.”
Students from Aurora Public Schools, the Cherry Creek School District, the Aurora Youth Commission, Aurora Teen Court, Aurora Police Explorers and NAACP Youth, among other organizations, helped to create the document.
The tome is the first of its kind in both APS and Cherry Creek, according to respective district spokespeople.
The booklet is available for free online, and has been dispersed to most local School Resource Officers, according to Cooley.
Lempert, a third-year Aurora Police Explorer who plans to pursue a career in law enforcement, said he’s hopeful the pamphlet could restore frayed ties between police and community members.
“Between law enforcement and the community, there’s a lot of harsh tension going on right now, and a lot of times, kids who are high school age don’t always see eye-to-eye with the police department,” he said. “One reason to create this book was to help with community relations — to help people understand why police do what they do.”