LAPD Officers and Kids in 'Jeopardy' Meet on the Soccer Field

The best way to keep a teenager at-risk from failing in school and in life is to provide a meaningful mentor and an example of a better way to live. “Jeopardy,” a non-profit program in Van Nuys for teens, has been creating that path for more than two decades with the leadership  of the LAPD.This Thursday, the Jeopardy kids and the cops will choose sides and play soccer, with a mixture of officers and teens on each team.  In this way they work together for a common goal with mutual respect. It is one more step in helping the kids choose a better path in life. Jeopardy is a nonprofit gang prevention and intervention program created by the Los Angeles Police Department in 1991. Designed for boys and girls ages 8 through 17 and their families, Jeopardy uses a positive approach designed to make lifelong changes in the attitudes of youth in “jeopardy” of being drawn into the gang lifestyle as many of their older siblings are already in gangs. Through the work of LAPD officers and volunteers, the program assists teachers, parents and the community in identifying at-risk children. When a child is determined to be at risk, they are taught – along with their parents – about the dangers of gang involvement and about the lifelong consequences of their actions. Utilizing organized sports, field trips, counseling and the supervision by LAPD officers, who become role models, these children are provided with new skill sets more suited to being a successful member of society and a better member of their own family.   The Van Nuys Division of the LAPD chose to allocate funds from their overall budget to the Jeopardy program because gang violence is a real threat to the health and welfare of the entire community.  The LAPD is taking pro-active steps to turn the future generations into "solid citizens" who will contribute to the Van Nuys community and the whole Valley. The “mission” of Jeopardy is as follows: “To provide at-risk youth the opportunity to develop self-esteem, respect, discipline and goal-setting. We seek to offer our participants an opportunity to belong, to learn and to pass on their knowledge in a supportive, positive and caring environment.”