Game Changer conducted training event #138 with the Los Angeles Kings on Monday, February 13, 2023. The nation’s premiere law enforcement/community relations model continued to provide California-State sanctioned training to members of law enforcement with the NHL team as part of their Black History Month programming.
The focus group portion of the event began 3 hours before the puck dropped between the Los Angeles Kings and the Buffalo Sabres and was moderated by Game Changer Founder, Sean Sheppard. Training event #138 featured youth from the Brotherhood Crusade and police officers from the Los Angeles Airport Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department. Game Changer participants Jesse Lizarraga from Brotherhood Crusade, and Dr. Luann Pannell, Director of Police Training and Education for the Los Angeles Police Department, were selected to participate in the pre-game honorary puck drop. The training was sponsored by Brotherhood Crusade and the Kings Care Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Los Angeles Kings.
The training event allowed participating officers to earn 4 hours of California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) continuing education units in Community Engagement/Building Trust. Game Changer training events also provide opportunities for members of the general public to receive training and insight into the concerns, objectives and priorities of members of law enforcement. Game Changer is the only entity in the state of California that utilizes sporting events and community residents to train members of law enforcement while collecting behavior change data.
The global law enforcement training model creates safe space for members of the general public, law enforcement, prosecutors, and elected officials to discuss problems and devise solutions together during moderated focus groups that take place 3 hours before the start of collegiate and professional sporting events. At the focus group conclusion, all participants attend the game together to continue communicating in a casual environment.
Since December 2016, Game Changer has conducted 138 in-person and virtual training events in 10 different states and Canada. A total of 2,464 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.