LAPD Helps Venice Students Prevent Bullying

LAPD Pacific Area hosted “Stand Up and Speak Out Against Bullying” on Nov. 15 at an assembly with 650 students at Venice High School. Topics discussed included bullying, cyber bullying, text bullying, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media tools.  

The students were shown short videos and a power point presentation. The assembly provided information and resources how to identify, address and prevent bullying. Students were given anti bullying wrist bands and a booklet on online responsibility, “Stop, Think, Click.” Guest speakers were: LAPD Commander Dennis Kato, Operations West Bureau, LAPD Pacific Area Lt. Edward Pape, and Monica Harmon, LAPD Volunteer/Stand Up and Speak Out Against Bullying Campaign

In attendance were: Senior Lead Officer Gregg Jacobus, Senior Lead Officer Marcy Garcia, Senior Lead Officer Juan Ceja, LAPD Pacific Area Community Relations personnel, and Gloria Prado, LAPD Pacific Volunteer. 

Monica Harmon created the Stand Up and Speak Out Against Bullying Campaign in 2011 in partnership with LAPD. Since then the campaign has been to every part of Los Angeles, and over 20,000 students, parent groups, community meetings, non profits have all seen the presentation.   

Throughout the nation 160,000 students don’t go to school for fear of being bullied.  There are 3 forms of bullying verbal, physical and social sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that, nationwide, 20% of students in grades 9–12 experienced bullying.

Stop Bullying.gov

http://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/index.html

PACER

http://www.pacer.org/bullying/ 

Olweus Bulying Prevention Program

http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/index.page