Last year, USC launched a partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department to create the Law Enforcement Advanced Development (LEAD) program. LEAD is an online and classroom-based training program in which experts from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy come together to train officers, teaching evidence-based techniques to reduce the need for force and helping officers develop communication skills for effective de-escalation.

The LEAD program culminates with the presentation of officers’ capstone projects, which are meant to present implementable solutions to specific community problems such as homelessness, domestic violence, mental illness and human trafficking. To celebrate the June 8 commencement of the inaugural LEAD class, we’re highlighting a few outstanding participants and their capstone projects.

After nearly two decades with the LAPD, Detective Lisset Fuentes found that the LEAD program provides an ideal platform to tackle community issues head-on, including one she is passionate about: equipping young people with the knowledge and tools they need to cultivate healthy relationships and coping capabilities.

USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work: Can you tell us about your professional background, and how you became interested in the LEAD program?

Lisset Fuentes: I’ve been with the LAPD for 18 years. I’m currently a detective specializing in investigating traffic collisions—from hit-and-runs and DUI’s to vehicular homicides.

I heard about the LEAD program through our department and I was immediately interested. In every role that I’ve held as a member of the police force, I’ve worked with victims of crimes, suspects, mentally ill and/or violent citizens. I realized that the program would offer invaluable learning opportunities that would be applicable to my work with a diverse range of community members.

USC: What aspects of the LEAD program did you find most valuable?

LF: I valued the diversity of the group and the opportunity it afforded us to participate in meaningful conversations with others. Our class includes officers, detectives, sergeants and lieutenants, and we represent a wide demographic range in terms of age, gender, race and ethnicity.

The classroom sessions provide a safe space to explore how we all feel about difficult subjects in a group setting, while balancing our own opinions with those of USC professors and visiting speakers. We discussed many different topics relating to police work and community relations, which, given the diversity of our group, creates interesting dialogue — for example, I wasn’t born in this country, so I had to assimilate to a new culture myself. It felt good to know that even though we all come from different places and cultures, we were making an effort to build bridges and understand one another. Due to my background, I can relate better to the community I serve because I understand where they are coming from and the needs of these neighborhoods.

USC: Can you tell us about your capstone project and the specific issues you hope it will address?

LF:The capstone project is intended to address particular problems within the communities that we serve. You must ask yourself, “What is my community lacking, and what can I do to improve it?”

When I tried to answer this question for myself, I initially thought that I should do something surrounding traffic-related issues, since that occupies a large portion of my day-to-day duties. But after giving it more consideration, I realized that my real passion is working with children.

I began researching youth programs and decided that I wanted to implement an intervention program designed to teach middle- and high school-aged youth about healthy relationship behaviors, and to educate them about the behaviors that can lead to intimate partner violence (IPV). My goal is eventually to reach a point of teaching awareness where even young children can recognize unhealthy behaviors and hopefully feel comfortable seeking help from a teacher or a law enforcement official.

Some programs already exist within our department, such as the Cadet Program and the Jeopardy Program. The Jeopardy Program is an LAPD initiative geared toward at-risk youth. In this program, teens attend after-school classes and learn valuable conflict resolution techniques. Parents are also required to attend the classes.

I felt that the skills I learned in the LEAD program could enhance a program like this or even act as the basis for a new program. The program would consist of structured lesson plans for youth and their parents that cover a variety of age-appropriate topics relating to building healthy relationships, developing communication skills and learning coping mechanisms when difficult situations arise. The idea would be to have subject matter experts teach the classes. I want to create a structured program in which we measure progress more precisely—I think it’s important to know that we’re making a difference, not just to believe that we are.

USC: Now that your project has been presented, how do you hope to put it into action?

LF: I intend to seek permission from command staff to meet with our youth program officers within LAPD in the hopes of integrating my classes into their curriculum. The Jeopardy Program requires participants to meet at least twice a week, and I hope that my specific topic-based lesson plans can be incorporated into the regular program. Once these changes have been made, the program will be evaluated and changes will be made accordingly.

I also intend to advocate for our youth programs outside of the Department. I have been collaborating with a variety of professionals—one of them being my sister, who has a master’s degree in Public Health and works very closely with local school districts to provide workshops for young children. I would love to participate in her workshops, bring our youth programs to different schools and provide resources to parents whose children might be experiencing difficult situations or are at risk of criminal or violent behavior. My goal is to increase awareness of the negative effects of violence on children, teach the differences between healthy and abusive relationships, and provide the resources necessary for children and parents to seek help in dangerous situations.