Lieutenant Felton Paine outlines Modesto police's Wake Up youth diversion program to review board

Lieutenant Felton Paine of the Modesto Police Department told the Community Police Review Board on March 18 that the Wake Up program is a six-week, two-hour weekly course for youth ages 12 to 17 that requires at least one parent to attend.

The program, Paine said, aims to build stronger family relationships, redirect poor behavior and help participants "understand the consequences of each choice you make." Instructors and guest presenters include former gang members and formerly incarcerated people; sessions cover gang awareness, drug and alcohol education and social-media safety, and include an off-site prison visit intended to give participants a realistic view of incarceration. Paine said the department held two sessions in 2025 and currently has 19 applications for the next session.

Board members asked how youth are selected and whether Wake Up functions as diversion from juvenile court. Paine said referrals come from parents, teachers and sometimes probation; historically, the department used diversion language on citations so juveniles could be referred to the program instead of progressing through court. "It used to be, on the bottom of the citation, for all juveniles, unless it was a serious crime, it was marked for diversion," Paine said, and he added that he will pursue conversations with Lieutenant Binkley, who is slated to oversee Wake Up, to restore that process.

On outcomes, Paine acknowledged the department lacks systematic follow-up. "It's been a challenge to kind of track that because, normally, when folks leave the program or the program's done, they graduate. We either don't get responses when we mail things out to them or, quite honest, sometimes drop the ball," he said, noting the department has anecdotal success stories but not comprehensive data. Board members pressed for better demographic information and outcome measurements; one member said they would follow up by email to request any data the department does collect.

Members suggested expanding guest presenters and aftercare, including job-training partners for older participants and more community-based recruitment and outreach. Paine said brochures are kept in the police training division and that schools are typically aware of the program, though social-media outreach is limited. He invited further partnership opportunities and said the department is open to presentations at churches or community sites.

The presentation concluded with a commitment by Paine to follow up on specific items, including confirmation about any extracurricular grants for program graduates and work to reestablish diversion language on juvenile citations. The board did not take formal action on the program at the meeting; related follow-up was noted for future discussion.