Game Changer continues to provide opportunities for colleges and universities to serve as hubs for civic engagement while training members of law enforcement.
On Tuesday, May 17, 2022, the LMU Athletic Department hosted Game Changer event #130 on campus in Los Angeles, CA. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers and probation officers from the Los Angeles County Probation Department participated in a 3-hour moderated focus group with youth from Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization Brotherhood Crusade and currently incarcerated youths. The group of approximately 30 participants discussed problems within the criminal justice system and devise solutions together, three hours before the LMU Lions took on the Dixie State Bison (6 p.m. PT). At the conclusion of the focus group, all participants attended the game together to spend quality, casual time communicating while taking in the game. This is the second in-person event LMU and Athletic Director, Craig Pintens, has hosted.
The training event allowed participating police officers to earn 4 hours of California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) continuing education units in Community Engagement/Building Trust. Participating probation officers earned 5 hours of California Standards and Trainng for Corrections (STC) continuing education units in Community Police and Communication. Game Changer training event 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.
Since December 2016, Game Changer has conducted 130 in-person and virtual training events in 10 different states and Canada. A total of 2,290 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.