Crime & Safety

Swearing-In Ceremony for Ex-Con Will Kick Off New Crime Program

Lake Saint Louis Police Chief Mike Force hopes that the Reality Check program will help deter young people from committing crimes.

On Aug. 16, Lake Saint Louis will be swearing in a new honorary police officer. 

And he's an ex-con.

Larry Lawton spent 11 years in some of the toughest federal prisons in the United States. Since his release he has developed a nationally recognized program to help teens and adults change the way they think and make better choices. 

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It's a program that Lake Saint Louis Police Chief Mike Force believes in, and he and his Assistant Chief of Police, Chris DiGiuseppi, are teaming up with Lawton to bring his Reality Check Program to Missouri.

“The Reality Check Program fills a void that exists with regards to helping deter young people from entering the system for the first time and gives hope to those who were in a dark place in their life," Force said in a press release. 

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"Larry Lawton is a man who has turned his life of crime toward a path of doing what’s right and helping others stay out of trouble.”

Digiuseppi told Patch that the program—which involves mentoring, school presentations, adult programs, and a parenting program—will be introduced to the city via DVD.

"(Reality Check) is donating 100 DVDs to our city for free to get the program going," Digiuseppi said. "From there, it's funded by local businesses."

"Preliminarily the plan is to have Larry back to town every six months or so to train, hold classes, etc.," he added.

Finding hope in a dark place and understanding that it's never too late to change are familiar ideas to Force and Digiuseppi. Their book, The Light Bringer, tells a series of stories with the same themes.

Force's determination to bring the program to Lake Saint Louis has the support of local attorneys and judges. 

Lake Saint Louis Prosecuting Attorney Tony Linson said, “Locally, we are fortunate to have a generally safe community, but in order to maintain such we need solutions like the Reality Check Program that offer new approaches to those challenges we face as a growing City.”

“Being a municipal judge and dealing with people who are having their first encounter with the judicial system, I typically encounter the beginning stages where young people start down the wrong path," Lake Saint Louis Municipal Judge Dennis Chassaniol said. "It’s refreshing to see a possible remedy to aid our youth and further public safety within our community."


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