New high school course in New York City: "What To Do If You're Stopped By The Police"

© Helayne Seidman

Senior Jason Zaragoza, 18, with a pamphlet from last week’s seminar.

It's Cops 101.

The principal of East Side Community HS invited the New York Civil Liberties Union to give a two-day training session last week on interacting with police.

The 450 kids were coached on staying calm during NYPD encounters and given a "What To Do If You're Stopped By The Police" pamphlet.

NYCLU representatives told kids to be polite and to keep their hands out of their pockets. But they also told students they don't have to show ID or consent to searches, that it's best to remain silent, and how to file a complaint against an officer.

Principal Mark Federman said he brought in the NYCLU because students told teachers they had bad experiences with being stopped by police. He said the training also was relevant to history classes studying the Ferguson, Mo., shooting.

"We're not going to candy-coat things - we have a problem in our city that's affecting young men of color and all of our students," Federman told The Post.

"It's not about the police being bad," he added. "This isn't anti-police as much as it's pro-young people . . . It's about what to do when kids are put in a position where they feel powerless and uncomfortable."

The hourlong workshops - held in small classroom sessions during advisory periods - focused on the NYPD's stop-and-frisk program and how to exercise Fourth Amendment rights when being stopped and questioned in a car or at home.

But some law enforcement experts say the NYCLU is going beyond civics lessons and doling out criminal-defense advice.

Eugene O'Donnell, a former police officer and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the literature implies cops are "public enemy No. 1."

"It's unlikely that a high school student would come away with any other conclusion than the police are a fearful group to be avoided at all costs," he said.

Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, said, "Education is the key, but are Civil Liberties going in with an agenda or to educate? I think we deserve equal time and should have the opportunity to follow up with the same platform to explain exactly what police do and what we think is the best way to deal with the police."

Senior Jason Zaragoza, 18, told The Post police stopped him three months ago after he left a party with friends.

"We said we were going home," he said. "They said, 'You're lying to us - just tell us the truth.' I was panicking, because I knew they could do anything to me and I can't help myself."

Zaragoza said last week's workshop "helped show me I can have my own defense against policemen who abuse their power."

A 17-year-old student, who asked not to be named, said police once hassled him outside his apartment because he had a marker from art class in his pocket.

"If you don't consent [to a search], sometimes they'll still do it," the senior said. "But [NYCLU reps] said do not resist."

Candis Tolliver, NYCLU's associate director for advocacy, said she visits classes after getting requests by teachers. This was the first time she trained an entire high school.

"This is not about teaching kids how to get away with a crime or being disrespectful," Tolliver said. "This is about making sure both sides are walking away from the situation safe and in control."