The Peace Officers Association of Los Angeles County has awarded Sergeant Toni Calton and Deputy Jim Bickel of Industry Sheriff's Station its Excellence in Community Policing award for the their innovative program called "Solutions". After years of referring parents who were seeking help for their destructive teenager's behavior, they found a "solution" and offered a combination parenting and at-risk teen program to the local community. The program is assisted with mentors from local colleges majoring in social work, psychology, or sociology who receive internship credits for graduation.
In the teenager class, the non-compliant child is introduced to jail, Skid Row, lectures from life changing individuals: former addicts and gang members, followed with a final tour of the mortuary. The lessons then switch to positive choices, complete with a community service project conducted in conjunction with their parents. For ten weeks, parents and their non-compliant teenagers attend simultaneous classes free of charge where the process of empowering parents and transforming teens begins.
About POALAC
The Peace Officers Association of Los Angeles County (POALAC) is a non-profit 501(c) foundation composed primarily of law enforcement officers at the local, county, state, and federal levels, working cooperatively with each other, the private sector, and other government agencies to advance the interests of public safety and professional law enforcement in Los Angeles County. POALAC is managed by an Executive Board, and the general POALAC membership is composed of dues-paying members. Non-law enforcement persons are also permitted to join as members of POALAC.
POALAC's committees are composed exclusively of members who commit to volunteer their expertise and efforts to promulgate the POALAC mission.
In addition to establishing powerful networking linkages among its members and the community, POALAC presents professional POST-approved seminars by renowned experts in their fields, has monthly theme-driven general membership meetings, publishes a magazine, hosts this Internet website (updated every 48 hours), and conducts many other regular and as-needed activities to advance its mission.
POALAC is entirely funded by membership dues and tax-deductible gifts from members of the business community and individuals concerned for the improvement of public safety in Los Angeles County.
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Pictured (Captain Tim Murikami, Sergeant Toni Calton, Deputy Jim Bickel)
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