STOCKTON, Calif. —

Stockton's Office of Violence Prevention has launched the "Tap In" program, providing a 24/7 hotline to offer support and guidance to youth in crisis. The effort aims to reduce gang involvement and gun violence.

"We're going to demystify what people look at gangs and think, 'Oh, that's something cool, I want to be part of it,' and we're going to help show them what's the reality of it and the reality of any type of gang involvement is death or imprisonment," said Lora Larson, director of the Office of Violence Prevention

The program includes a bracelet with a private line to a peacekeeper, accessible only to those in need.

Larson explained, "When the youth are alone and those pressures are rolling around in their head, if they had a number that they could call, we're

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