LOS ANGELES, CA – Game Changer recently conducted training events in San Diego County and Los Angeles County thanks to funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance National Training and Technical Assistance Training Center (BJA NTTAC). The funding resulted from technical assistance and training requests made by the Los Angeles County Probation Department and the La Mesa Police Department.

Both law enforcement agencies requested BJA NTTAC, allowing federal funds to cover the cost of their officers to receive training through the Game Changer model. The training events took place on August 18, 2022, and August 22, 2022, in San Diego County and Los Angeles County, respectively.

Juvenile probationers, La Mesa, California community residents, and members of the La Mesa Police Department completed the focus group portion of training at the Omni Hotel adjacent to Petco Park before taking in the San Diego Padres game together to continue communicating outside of a formal environment. Additionally, juvenile incarcerations, juveniles from Brotherhood Crusade, Los Angeles County Probation Officers, Los Angeles County District Attorney investigators, and Los Angeles County DA prosecutors completed the focus group portion of the training at the Los Angeles Police Department Academy Elysian Park before taking in the Los Angeles Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium directly across the street from the academy.

With Game Changer being a California POST-accredited and STC-accredited organization, all participating members of law enforcement received California continuing education training units during the BJA NTTAC-funded events.

Since December 2016, Game Changer has conducted 133 in-person and virtual training events in 10 states and Canada. A total of 2,352 community residents and members of law enforcement have participated in the training events, including 57 unique law enforcement agencies on the local, state, and federal levels.

For more information on Game Changer and future events, please visit www.GameChanger1.org

Source: Jackie Devereaux