BOSTON -- How far should police be able to go to stop crime on Boston's streets?

Some say a controversial new program that begins this week crosses the line.

NewsCenter 5's Shiba Russell reported that activists are calling it unconstitutional, but Boston police said the program works in other cities. So, starting this week, police will go door to door hoping to search teenagers' bedrooms for guns.

That's according to the paper Boston Now.

The Safe Homes Initiative works by sending officers to visit houses where they believe a teenager is stashing a gun. They must ask the parent or legal guardian for permission to search the child's room and take the weapon away.

Police said if the gun is not connected to a crime they will not prosecute the child. They said it's part of an effort to curb violence in the city, but critics claim the program amounts to nothing more than warrantless searches by intimidating police officers.

Still, the city's top cop and district attorney have said parents can say no to the officer's request to search their children's room.