The 76th Precinct's Juvenile Intervention Program

Close to half of the arrests made this year in connection with robberies in the were of people 19 and younger, said . To combat juvenile criminal behavior, Lewis is pushing for intervention.

"What the NYPD is trying to do, and we're trying to follow suit, is to really follow up" with the offenders, Lewis said.

"We want to find out where they go to school, visit them at their homes, do some sort of intervention."

The NYPD introduced the program, "JRIP," in July, 2009. The Juvenile Robbery Intervention Program focuses on following up with youthful offenders and showing them there are other options than crime.

Police Officers Carly Rivera and Tavis Watson at the 76th Pct. go through the police blotter every week looking for kids who were involved in a minor crime, said Lewis.

"We're being called upon by Executive Staff in the Police Department to make sure we intervene with minor crimes," he said.

Lewis said officers are getting positive feedback, though many were first met with skepticism.

"The officers find the kids themselves they don't want any involvement with the police," he said. "But they eventually see we're trying to prevent situations from getting worse."