Laguna Beach Police Chief Laura Farinella, Captains Jason Kravetz and Darin Lenyi lunched with with at-risk adolescents living at the Community Service Programs Laguna Beach Youth Shelter recently.
“We want to help save these kids. They are on the fringe and our goal is that this interaction is a small nugget of hope and positivity they’ll keep with them forever,” said Farinella.
CSP and LBPD view the exchange as a positive interaction with law enforcement. Some youngsters asked about careers in law enforcement and wanted to know what a day in the life of a cop looks like. “It was a rare occasion for kids to be able to ask officers questions, instead of being questioned,” noted Carol Carlson, director of the shelter. “Most of these youth wouldn’t normally talk to officers unless they were in custody, and this is changing that pattern by showing them that officers are human. The impact that this lunch has made on the youth here will be carried with them, and hopefully shared with their friends and family as well.”
Shelter residents, from 13 to 17, learned how law enforcement works to keep the community safe, while officers got a glimpse of CSP resources for homeless, runaway and at-risk youth.
