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 Los Angeles Police Department and Little Free Library: Engagement through Books April 2017 | Volume 10 | Issue 4
   Heading down to the police station doesn’t have to be a bad thing, especially if you live in the city of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is installing Little Free Libraries (LFL)—free-standing micro-library boxes with free books  provided by community members and neighbors—in their stations to soften the precincts’ hard, gritty reputations; promote youth literacy; and develop better relationships with the public. Building trust between residents and local police departments is key to a health community, says Captain Robert Arcos, Seventy-Seventh Street Area Commanding Officer. “A police station is often viewed as a very sterile environment. A place to report crimes, visit loved ones in jail, seek assistance for trouble teens or other family members—all in all not a positive experience,” he says. “Therefore the more opportunities we create to have a positive experience, the better we connect to our communities.”
The first LAPD-sponsored LFL opened in South Los Angeles at the Seventy-Seventh Area Station in 2013. Today, nearly all 21 LAPD stations have LFLs, and the LAPD has opened LFLs in homeless shelters, community coffee shops, housing developments, council district constituent centers, and recreational centers in the Los Angeles area. In addition, the LAPD and A Chance for Children Foundation partnered with the Water Buffalo Club community group to open eight more LFLs in Los Angeles County Sheriff’s stations.   “The community  response has been overwhelming,” says Arcos. “The Little Free Library in the  Seventy-Seventh Street Division is constantly in use. We have book readings by  police officers every other week highlighting the LFL experience. Elementary  school tours are conducted twice a month, and each tour includes a book reading  by officers from a Little Free Library book.” One station has a  different local school visit the station each week for a reading and tour that  starts with a reading from the LFL. Afterward, the children are made honorary  police officers, take a tour of the station, meet the officers, and see an  exciting flight when the helicopter is available. At the end of each visit, the  children are excited to find out that they each get to take a book. Officers  also host book drives and other events to invite the public to the station to  get to know the officers. Other community engagement from the LFL includes  “Read with an Officer” programs at local public libraries. Every Friday, the  officers go to the library and read to children, which is another opportunity  for community engagement. In addition, the LFLs are a conduit for recruitment  into youth programs because many young children who visit the LFL have become  members of the LAPD Police Activities League and Cadet Program. One important facet of  the LFL in the station lobbies is that it provides safe place for children to  be  if their parents have to report a crime. The children or their family  members are often the victims of crimes, and if children hear their parents  report the crime they can be traumatized and re-victimized. Providing a space  for children shelters them from hearing about the details of frightening events  in their lives. The books are supplied by officers and police leadership,  community partners, and grass roots book drives as well as local public  libraries. One teen completed her Girl Scout Silver Award by building a LFL and  collecting books for the Rampart Station. She drafted the sketch of a castle  inspired library (because Rampart Station is the known as “the Castle” within  the LAPD), and she and her troop built the LFL and planned the ribbon cutting  with LAPD officers. “I cannot tell you how  wonderful it is to see the LFL in my station being used every single day by  children,” says Sergeant Heidi Stoecklein of Newtown Station. “It has truly  changed the dynamics in our station—the community room and lobby is truly the  heartbeat of the station now where officers and community come together.” For more information  about the LAPD Little Free Library program, please contact Heidi Stoecklein at  36662@lapd.online or 323-846-3937. Sergeant II Heidi  Stoecklein
  OIC of the Newton Area  Community Safety Partnership Team
  Los Angeles Police  Department Margret Aldrich
  Media + Programming  for Little Free Library
  Author of The Little  Free Library Book Tweet
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