Police Offering Programs for Youths

Westside police are offering teen-agers and young adults an inside look at crime-fighting and younger children a chance to combine study with pleasure trips.

Youths up to age 21 may join Explorers, a group that helps police direct traffic, answer telephones and control crowds at special events. Explorers may ride with police and receive training in basic law enforcement, crime reports, firearms safety, ceremonial drills and other subjects.

Children may join police-sponsored groups that provide recreational alternatives to hanging out on the streets. Depending on the police station, children are tutored in schoolwork, offered free trips to amusement parks and even given the chance to play water polo.

Those interested must apply to the police station covering their neighborhoods. Not every station offers programs both for older youths and for children.

For details, call police and ask for the community relations section if the numbers are not listed here: Pacific, (213) 202-4525; Southwest, (213) 485-3258; West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station, (213) 855-8850; West Los Angeles, (213) 485-8431; Wilshire, (213) 485-4020; Santa Monica, (213) 392-7673.