J-CARS JUVENILE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS MISSING PERSONS P.A.L. POLICE EXPLORERS	YOUTH SERVICES DIVISION Youth Services Division Commander Youth Services is a multi-faceted division, which deals with at-risk youth and juvenile offenders. The division's objectives include prevention, intervention, investigation and suppression activities. Youth Services consists of four details; each specializes in one or more of these objectives. J-CARS J-Cars is a pro-active unit of investigators which is designed to apprehend juvenile offenders in or around our schools. Officers work closely with school administrators in identifying and apprehending juvenile offenders involved in criminal activities such as narcotics, assaults and graffiti. This is in an effort to make our schools safer and a better place for learning. J-Cars has the following functions: · Enforces daytime loitering and truancy violations to locate kids who are not attending school. They also conduct sting operations to identify and prosecute businesses that are selling tobacco to minors. · Coordinates with Juvenile Probation officers in supervising and monitoring juvenile offenders who reside in the city and attend alternative school sites. · Operates the Gun and Dog Detection Unit known as "CHOCO". CHOCO is K-9 trained to find guns and narcotics. CHOCO and his handler, a detective with the Long Beach Police Department, work with the high school and middle school administrators in locating narcotics and firearms on school grounds. CHOCO is a certified narcotics and firearm detection dog, having trained over 200 hours as well as maintaining weekly practice searches, to ensure he has a keen nose and is ready to work at a moment's notice. · Assigns a juvenile detective to each of the five major high school campuses in Long Beach. They coordinate with school administrators in maintaining campus safety. They also enforce laws and take appropriate enforcement action. · Serves warrants for juvenile offenders. · Explores strategies to assist LBUSD with school safety plans; investigates crimes that occur on campus; deters off-campus disruption that interferes with education. JUVENILE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION Juvenile detectives are responsible for approving bookings and the disposition of juveniles after bookings. Detectives also investigate incidents where juveniles are believed to have committed a crime. When juveniles are taken into custody, detectives file petitions with the Juvenile District Attorney's Office to initiate the court's process of rehabilitation or punishment of the subject. In minor criminal cases, juveniles can be cited into traffic (informal) court. In special cases, a juvenile may be referred to alternative programs such as Short Stop and Neighborhood Citizens Committee rather than being involved with the courts. These programs are intensive educational alternatives to the court process for minor non-violent offenses. It is the goal of Juvenile Investigations to identify, take into custody, and process juveniles in such a way as to prevent future problems with law enforcement for the betterment of the child and the community. MISSING PERSONS The Missing Persons Unit investigates all adult and juvenile missing persons. Each missing person case is evaluated to determine if the missing person meets the criteria for a “critical missing” that includes having severe mental and emotional problems or being in critical need of medication. The unit averages approximately 200 new juvenile cases and 75 adult cases each month. POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE P.A.L. is a sports-oriented, crime-prevention program that relies on athletics and recreational activities to form a bond between police officers and the youth of the community. This relationship helps to prevent gang violence and drug activity through the positive use of sport activities. P.A.L. is based on the strong belief that children, if reached early enough, can develop a strong, positive attitude towards police officers. POLICE EXPLORERS The Long Beach Police Explorer Post #295 is a program designed for motivated and service-oriented young men and women who have an interest in the law enforcement field. The Explorers attend weekly meetings where they receive training in all avenues of law enforcement. The program provides an opportunity for youth to gain personal satisfaction, enhance their leadership/teamwork skills, and make a difference in their community.