Research indicates that certain factors in a child's life increase the likelihood that the child will be involved in crime. The potential for criminal behavior increases with an increase in the number of risk factors. Risk factors include being part of a low-income family, a single-parent family, or a highly mobile family; having ready access to drugs and guns; getting poor school grades; being socially isolated; having a lack of adequate supervision; being in numerous conflicts with parents; having a parent who abuses alcohol; having poor impulse control; and exhibiting sensation-seeking behavior. Protective factors include having a positive adult role model or adult influence; being part of a mentoring program or having access to intensive support services; participating in a tutoring program or sports activities; and having a sense of purpose. This article describes various programs in which police can participate in helping to expose youth to the aforementioned kinds of protective factors. Prevention programs include Project Head Start, Boys and Girls Clubs, police athletic programs, mentoring programs, and programs to prevent handgun violence.