Students in JTED's Law, Public Safety and Security program implemented a community service project aimed at preventing domestic minor sex trafficking and other forms of child abuse with the hope there will be less of those types of calls when they become police officers. 

The students partnered with the Tucson Police Department (TPD), and the Southern Arizona Children's Advocacy Center to bring safety programs to hundreds of elementary school students across Tucson.

According to a report by Shared Hope International, more than 100,000 American juveniles are victimized through prostitution in the U.S. each year, and according to the Traffick911 organization, child trafficking and slavery has become the fastest growing crime in the world.  

Linda Clay, a prevention specialist with the Southern Arizona Children's Advocacy Center, said, "We've found an ever-changing and growing population of people trying to take advantage of children." The problem isn't always stranger danger, Clay said, "Of all the children who are abused, 79 percent of the time the offender is someone the child knows." She said the JTED students are doing an excellent job of teaching kids what to do, and who to turn to for help.

JTED Instructor and TPD Detective Joseph Wall (photo left) said students Anna Friggle, Joe Fautz, and Erica Rivera (photo right) wanted to do something that would impact the community, and stop the growing trend in the victimization of children. Community Service projects are a part of the students' involvement in SkillsUSA. 

Det. Wall said community service is also something every TPD officer is trained to do and is always a priority for his agency. Rivera, who attends Catalina Magnet High School, said, "We really wanted to do something important, and minimize the number of child abuse crimes by the time we become police officers." Her aim is to make children feel comfortable speaking to the men and women who wear the uniform. "I want them to know that police officers don't just arrest people, they should talk to us because we're committed to preventing crime."

At the time Rivera signed up for JTED she didn't know what she wanted to do in life. "I think I found my calling, this is something I want to do," she said. She hopes to work in Corrections or Border Patrol until she turns 21 and can enroll in the TPD Academy. 

During the assessments, students were required to creatively interpret a recipe using the same basic ingredients.

Professional chefs from various restaurants, culinary associations and schools were on hand to judge student performances and taste-test the completed dishes. 

Instructors Kerri Morton and Becky Yim have brought industry into the classroom to give students a well-rounded understanding of the standards required to meet the expectations of food industry employers.