on the board of directors at the san francisco youth fishing program. i have been a fisherman all my life. i take kids fishing with the police and i have nothing but positive things to say about the work that the police department has done in this realm. they have taken 1500 young people a year out fishing. these are guys that are gang members, we take people from all walks of life. every district, hunters point, you name it. i have seen major changes in a lot of the folks that come out fishing. i have seen them get health and to police jobs, i have seen them become firemen, and i have seen a couple of them do my job. we have been doing this for 44 years. 1500 kids a year, it has taken a lot of people off the street and introducing them to something

that is very healthy and wholesome. the police have been the ambassadors to the youth of this city. you have no veteran diplomat and then them. i have seen the relationships change on a wide level. if they had more resources, they could do more of that kind of work. that is how i feel. >> i don't quite know how the fall of that, but i am one of those that came through the program. i currently work for the san francisco recreation and parks department. as captain frank said, i started out in the program in 1977, so it has been awhile since i haven't been used.

we have taken some of the kids out either through my vote, and i can't tell you of the magic that happens when a kid catches fish. it works on both sides. i also want to speak to the fact that my department did a very unique program this year where we took a bunch chicana and got various city agencies involved. from that, we have so many from the guidance center that are working in our department. currently, and the coordinator for alternative recreation. wilderness programs, fishing programs. we did a unique partnership of the fishing program where we took the kids fishing and they went and cook it for their parents.

without these partnerships, i can't do what i do. we need to keep them going and hopefully the chief, the general manager, not only will they be strengthened, it will be much better for everybody in the city. >> my name is emily, i have a fifth grader. i think that when officer rivera came to tinto island, we learned a lot more. [applause]

>> my class went on a trip to the angel island with officer mike. i never get to go on boats very often. we would never hiked 6 miles, but i did. the reason that i want to make this field trip happene is to have fun and get dirty. i would like to have this field trip every year so that kids who don't get enough exercise can have an opportunity to-6 miles and mostly have fun. i want to thank officer mike for taking my kids to the island. please don't cut this pro

gram. president mazzucco: thank you. [applause] >> i'm a fifth grader at west peraarl elementary school. they are amazing to learn and to see. [unintelligible] i have been the angel of my parents and i find that even more when a police officer -- it is a good way to befriend a police officer. i thought that they dished out discipline when people break laws. i realized that they are friendly storytellers and know a lot of history. i've become more aware of the history that was written and painted on the walls by the chinese immigrants. angel island offers activities for us kids. i think that kids learn many

interesting things about angel island through the field for a program. i have always had fun with my classmates on this field trip. i want other kids to have fun also. i think maintaining this educational program is important. >> i am apparent in support of the program. i want to briefly make three points. we have often referred to this society of this country has a melting pot, combine the differences together that contributes to the richness of today's culture and history. angel island offers a valuable historical point of view.

we can learn a lot from textbooks, but there is really no substitute for our visit to the sideline and cultural traits are introduced. it seems to me that there is more emphasis on class and course work and less time for physical activity and social interaction. the kids are more distracted and caught up with today's technological advances, and as a parent, i prefer to hear that my son has scraped his elbows and then complaining about his shoulder from learning how to play video games. these outdoor activities are much healthier. finally, i think our kids see and hear about police actions from media reports. i think the future payments for them is that there is some sort of violence involved when the

police officer does his or her job. by contrast, if you picture this on a beautiful san francisco bay, a bunch of kids sitting next to the police officers chatting away. this really possesses a different picture. you can hear comments from the kids like to do know that officer joe has kids have the school? or officer kelly really knows a lot about baseball. it is a wonderful opportunity for kids to connect with a police officer and five that he or she is the parent or a past graduates. the police officer is a regular person. it is a great opportunity for social interaction for kids go and not attract such as angel island.

>> have a fourth grade teacher at an elementary school. i am the teacher of the wonderful to of and that just spoke. i am here to speak on behalf of officer michael rivera. officer rivera is paying it forward. he provides children with experiences they are not likely to have elsewhere. they have self-reliance and cooperation. and most importantly, he and establishes a positive first link between the children and the s.f. pd. he will ultimately benefit from his work. >> i am a fifth grade teacher at west portal elementary. each year since 1986, my students have participated in an outdoor educational adventure

with the sfpd wilderness program. we of got backpacking trips, hiking 5.5 miles into the wilderness. we of gone hiking in the last several years on the hike to angel island. the children always come back with a sense of community, and my other parents and children have also alluded to that. they come back talking about what an officer said, what they did, how much fun they had, and tired. the self-esteem they gain from these interactions is amazing. by stephen c. police officers as regular, caring, fun people. this is in contrast to what they usually see, the negative images in the news or in their neighborhoods.

former students return to school and tell me of meeting an officer, somewhere in the city, an officer the ygot to - -they g- -- they got to know on these adventures. i see their smiles, i know. they talk about different situations being defused by one of their wilderness trips. i am a strong supporter of the wilderness program, 25 years says it all. i hope that my future students will also be able to participate. thank you. >> i am a parent of a fourth grader at west portal elementary school.

i want to thank you for having programs like this wilderness program. i was fortunate this last fall to be able to go on the trip as a chaperon, and it was a fantastic experience. it really became apparent that this was the first time the lot of the children got a chance to interact directly with a police officer. in the beginning, they seemed very nervous. they didn't know what to do and they didn't know what to say. by the end of the trip, they were having a great time with the police officers on the trip. it was a nice and unusually warm day. i would say for a lot of these children, it was alive changing experience. i am here to thank you again for having a program like this. thank you.

>> imf program manager for an organization called environmental traveling companions. we provide the rafting in the other trips we are hearing about. i grew up here in san francisco, and i got my first job in college with the wilderness program. i became a rough guide into a lot more kids out. this evening i have been surprised to hear a lot of people like the hiking bettas and rafting. how want to express sincere support for the wilderness program, not just for introducing me to a life of working, but all of the awesome trips we have been provided. all of the volunteer guides are people like you.

they go with the youth and officers, we do white water rafting in the skiing. i believe in my youth leadership program that i did what i was 14, it came from a partnership between the lotus program. the of the good work. i would love to see more youth leaders we can employ and the program and have them doing what we do. >> my name is brandon jackson, i worked at the end of side district, i am a case manager. i've got the kids that were told they would never be nothing. and my goal at comes to that is to build self-esteem. it is hard to build self-esteem

and the kids leave the center every day. they just bring down the self- esteem telling me they will be nothing. they think because they're brother of a mess of life, they will have the mass of life. i feel like i am putting the time and effort to build self- esteem, helping them feel good about themselves, and getting back to those that made me feel good about myself. they come and talk to me about some of the problems, i engaged with them and give them the best. they say it is hard, we don't do nothing to them. they set us down, taking into the station, if we are over 18, and to me, i feel like that is the problem. the solution is that we have to

find some sort of solution to engage the kids. did the police to place some kind of basketball, board games, card games. some way to engage the kids and let them know that people do change. just believe, think about like they can change. if you help me bring them up, you don't have to deal with them no more. they're appos -- opposed to messing their minds up. >> i work as the senior case manager at inner-city youth. i want to take a moment to commend our station capt. for keeping an open line of communication with us and for

the front-line people in the district. i want to say there is certainly more work to be done. it is important that frontline staff received a comprehensive amount of cultural competency training both in the academy at continually throughout their career. i am obviously a white woman that i built my career working in communities of color. i have to go through a significant amount of competency training. issues of race, class, and issues of youth and the socio- economic. i think the continued work, especially for people that are on the ground, are needed. i want to thank them for their continued commitment on this issue. i would be remiss if i did not say that that makes high day looking at what your carrying on,. -- you are carrying on.

>> i'm from the bayview district, i work with inner- city youth. i have had many confrontations with the police. some good, but unfortunately a lot bad. there are great, and there are bad cops sometimes. what i like to say is for the great cops, when they see something that is not supposed to go on with another cop, they need to confront that. people listen -- the police are not going to listen to me, but they will listen to another officer telling them something. i did not pick the background that i have, i was born like that. everybody is not the same, just like all cops are bad. and we need to understand each

other more, and i feel that to be more engaged with the community, don't be scared to reach out. when you see a kid growing up, not think that is fake. compliment them. he has been through a change and he has not been arrested. i would also like to shout out angel. he came from a hard change and i'm glad to see him on this right now. >> i am the director of inner- city youth, and one of my commitments to this work was that there is a young man that did not have any parents. so i went through the guardian process, i got custody of him.

i am the executive director. i am not going into my own horn, but i think i am very resourceful and i have a general good understanding of how to navigate systems. he has many co-defendants. he is not doing anything. because of his status, he cannot be separated. i don't know what to do. i don't know where to go. i thought he was kidding when he told me that. he wasn't. hasn't come to see him, hasn't called me once. and so what do i do? do i go straight to the d.a.? do i say to take them off the

case and prolong his day? these are different issues that i have, as a person working with families, i never thought i would have to go through this with them. we need more resources. sometimes that might be a phone call or bodies to actually implement real change, and really bring back the start of justice. young people need an opportunity to correct a wrong. young people leave an opportunity to be heard. sometimes they have to walk around with records the rest of their life. thank you. >> i am a preschool teacher during the school year and i work with a middle school youth during the summer. i am here to speak about the sf

fishing trip. it is one of the biggest trips my kids look forward to each year. the joy of them catching the fish themselves, being from the city, they kept the bait and cooking and everything. even the girls are ecstatic and overjoyed when they catch a fish bigger than all the boys. i want to thank officer bought for introducing me to this program because i used to be in a program underneath my mentor. i also want to thank the police department, hoffa's turkey's was my football coach. he steered me the right way of where i needed to go to work and become like them.

helen to give you props for being wary war. it took me a long time to realize that. i listened to the radio, it brought me to where i met today, and i am very grateful for being here and not having only one child, having hundreds of thousands of youth to look forward to getting on the right track. >> and good evening use commissioners in the police commissioners. i am the president of the boys and girls club of san francisco. we have about 1200 kids a day in our care. a couple of simple point, stay on the path you are on. there is amazing stuff happening

at the police department and i continue to engage. engage with young people, engaged with developers, get to know the staff. we have a closer connection with kids. great comments so far, training. i am impressed with the city. i am impressed with the the choice. i would encourage more and more training as we just heard four officers as they are coming up the ranks so that they are engaged just as much as the captains are. in the back of the room, officer j.j. that guy is a hero. he is unbelievable and i truly

believe he has saved lives, in gauging directly with kids and families. i also want to recognize someone else that is here today. a good friend. rick bruce did unbelievable work and he may have been the boys and girls clubs. when you get the leadership right and people want to engage with kids into prevention work, it is powerful, and i am grateful for those folks. >> i am the clubhouse's director of the boys and girls club at hunters point. i would like to say thank you to the youth commission, i enjoyed incredible work, i hope your viewers take advantage of it.

i want to echo of the great work that j.j. has done on the hill. and officer mike rivera. i have a chance to participate on a rafting trip and is one of the best experiences ever. there is good fun in the sun. and officer jackson, getting kids into the building and participating with the programs. i don't want to undermine it or take it lightly. it is easy to criticize and hard to command. thank you, chief, for the hard work that you're doing. >> my name is james mcelroy, and i just want to talk about what

the officer ford did with the fishing program that we have been participating in since 1988. we used to participate at a child program that has not happened a long time because of other reasons. a lot to talk about the fishing program with regards to what it does to build the interrelationships. as a boat captain frank says, that fishing program has taken over 1000 people, 1000 kids from hunters point fishing, dee psepa fishing. a lot of folks have never been outside golden gate. the program has given children a whole expansion of what is out there besides in their neighborhood.

just getting them out there, outside of the day, and also the personal relationships that come with communications between officers and the children while they are on the boat, i think it is very important and should be taken into consideration. i like to thank them for all the years of taking the kids out. >> high name is carlotta jackson lee. i would like to commend the youth commission, more power to you. and i would also like to commend the police commission and specifically, the board of supervisors and our chief sir of the police department. i would like to say in support of the people doing work with

families in crisis, specifically foster youth in district 10. i went to see the chief at his invitation and we were very grateful for it. he allowed us to a partnership with commander bill to do training on sexual explication, human trafficking, and i want to thank the chief for his concern and his support for us to actually have this training. the first training will be march 10, this saturday. it's candlestick cove, the clock to 1:00 p.m. on saturday. to 1:00 p.m. on saturday. there is also a counseling