The sheriff’s department is synonymous with law enforcement, correction and response to crime after it happens.
But L.A. County’s sheriff’s deputies have yet another weapon in their arsenal–prevention aimed at young elementary and middle school aged children.
“Why do the sheriffs take kids to camp?” asked a deputy at on the first morning of camp. “To keep them focused on the future and keep them off drugs,” he answered.
Among the many programs offered by the Sheriff’s Youth Foundation’s S.T.A.R. (Success Through Awareness & Resistance) program are two-week-long camp sessions that focus on enabling local youth to resist drugs and crime, and keep them focused instead on a productive future.
Last week, 110 children from age 7 to about 12 attended the first of two weekly sessions at Camp Calamigos in the Santa Monica Mountains.
S.T.A.R. deputies who, during the year, visit local schools, educating children about drugs and crime prevention, lead the campers in the mountains above Malibu through a fun and lesson-oriented curriculum, touching on a variety of subjects such as Internet safety and martial arts.
Camp organizers also cater daily lunches and snacks and take the children on field trips to Magic Mountain, Point Mugu Naval Base, or a Dodger game.
The Sheriff’s Youth Foundation was created in 1985 based upon the belief that crime prevention programs focused on youth are the key to developing safer communities.