LAPD Participates in Reducing Gang Activity

What:
Friday Night Extreme Teens Program

When:
Starting September 28, 2007, 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Where:
Van Nuys Recreation Center
14301 Vanowen Street
Van Nuys, Ca

Who:
Councilman Tony Cardenas
Mr. Jeffrey Carr, Director of Gang Prevention and Youth Development
Los Angeles Police Department Command Staff
Representatives from Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office
Representatives from Department of Recreation and Parks
Members of the San Fernando Valley Coalition on Gangs
Van Nuys Neighborhood Council

The Los Angeles Police Department is sponsoring a celebration to kick off the beginning of the Friday Night Extreme Teens program. This weekly Friday night activity was developed to reduce gang activity in the Van Nuys area.

Every Friday night, throughout the year, the Coalition will offer a safe environment for kids to participate in sports offered at the Van Nuys Recreation Center. There will be food, music and guest speakers to help local teens avoid the lure of gangs.

This is the second Extreme Teens program created by the San Fernando Valley Coalition on Gangs. The program began at Lanark Park, in Canoga Park in May 2006, and there are presently more than 125 youth participating on a weekly basis. Van Nuys Recreation Center was selected as the second site due to the increase in gang crimes in the vicinity.

With gang activity on the rise throughout the City of Los Angeles, organized youth activities are needed. The San Fernando Valley Coalition on Gangs is committed to providing young people with positive influences and a safe alternative to gangs.

For more information contact Sergeant John Artes, at the Operations-Valley Bureau, Gang Enforcement Detail, at 818-838-9480.