Faith groups reaching out to younger kids in crime prevention efforts

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — They’re too young to drink, to drive or to vote, but not too young to be recruited into groups committing crime. 

Some crime fighting groups are changing tactics after seeing suspects in crimes getting younger and younger. One of the approaches means reaching out to a younger age group. 

Last police arrested a 14-year-old boy who is accused of shooting and killing a customer during a robbery at a Dollar General in Cumberland. 

In Richmond, a 14-year-old boy engaged police in a shootout, before shooting and killing himself.

According to Rev. Charles Harrison, pre-teens and teens are being recruited to commit crimes.

Harrison works with the Ten Point Coalition. The group addresses criminal activity in age groups 12-24.

Recently Harrison dropped the age from 12 to 10. The uniform crime reporting numbers points out there has been an increase in arrests in juveniles between 10 and 17.

“We are seeing kids that young with handguns; we’ve got to get to them. They are being recruited at a younger age,” said Harrison.

“We lowered the age because we seen the recruit by preteens and adolescents. By drug dealer and neighborhood clicks and recruiting as 10 years old. There is easy access to unlawful guns. Young people — 10, 11, 12 and 15 years old — possessing guns and they are using these guns to settle conflict,” Harrison said.