Lansing police work to curb gang violence with GREAT program

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Like many large police departments, Lansing is working to reduce gang violence.

Experts said getting through to young people is at the heart of the solution.

A Lansing police unit called Gang Resistance Education And Training (GREAT) is working to connect with kids, and the community. That includes sending officers to talk about life lessons with kids at school.

Related: Lansing police officer is back for a GREAT cause

“We want to try to get them a little bit more resources and everything that they don’t have, like a lot of these kids, sometimes don’t have the foundation, or don’t have the mentorship, or don’t have the resources that other people grew up with,” said Lansing Police Officer Mikal Cook. “So us coming in the schools and basically just speaking with them, not even speaking with them, I think a lot of times, it’s just more of just listening, listening to what they need, what they want, or what they need from us .”

Officers in the GREAT unit work with kids ages nine to fourteen. They also mentor kids during the summer.

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