COPS & KIDS CONFERENCE CONVENES - WORKING TOGETHER FOR PEACE IN THE STREETS

Over 20 LAPD officers join 200 students to open communication and break down stereotypes between police and students.

(June 6, 2003, Los Angeles) Today, more than 200 students from Virgil and Le Conte Middle Schools joined 20 LAPD officers at the Convention Center for the annual Cops & Kids conference sponsored by the Constitutional Rights Foundation. This program, created 10 years ago in response to LA's civil unrest, is a collaborative effort between CRF and the LAPD. The program provides opportunities for teens to build positive attitudes toward police and to take an active role in promoting public safety in their communities.

In a series of simulation models, students have an opportunity to experience law enforcement from the point of view of police, suspects, and witnesses. By giving a realistic picture of the challenges faced by officers, the simulation helps students better understand the daily demands of police work. By using actual law enforcement officers as resources, young people and police interact in a positive learning environment.

"Cops & Kids is an excellent first step to effective community policing." "It helps young people understand and appreciate the role of the police and helps the police better understand the young people they serve," said Marshall Croddy, CRF's Director of Programs.

For over forty years, the Constitutional Rights Foundation seeks to instill in our nation's youth a deeper understanding of citizenship through values expressed in our Constitution and its Bill of Rights, and educate them to become active and responsible participants in our society. CRF is dedicated to assuring our country's future by investing in our youth today.

For more information, visit the CRF website at www.crf-usa.org.