Beyond the Badge
“I feel like the program can help many students from the neighborhood to learn about cars and see different parts of how cars are built or where they’re from”
By Jorge Martin
Police Officer III Derrick Boykins of Metropolitan Division recalls easily why he left the Marine Corps in 2008 for a career in law enforcement.
Having split his childhood between Inglewood and Palmdale, he saw how the streets lured young people toward the wrong side of the law. He would not become a statistic, because he had parents who stressed honest, hard work and strong values. He was also a student-athlete who excelled in the classroom as well as the field of play. Boykins wanted to raise a family in the city where he grew up, passing along the same lessons of his parents.
Early in his LAPD career, Boykins saw several young people with potential who fell to the attraction of street life. That’s one of the places where he wanted to make a difference. “I was always helping kids, but it was always after the fact,” Boykins said. “I was talking to the kids, but it was after they already had a criminal record, after they had an arrest. I was constantly looking for things before they got involved with the criminal justice system.”
A self-described “car nut,” Boykins was at a car show a few years back when he came across a display with young people showing off a car. As it turns out, these young people were affiliated with the Drag Racing Against Gangs and Graffiti (DRAGG) Program, which gives at-risk youth ages 14-24 hands-on opportunities to work on cars and trucks to give them practical experience and potentially a career in the automotive industry. A year ago, the organization gave students the opportunity to rename the program to branch out into Los Angeles. They chose the name Acceler8 Automotive Education Program.
The young people in the program often receive recommendations to join through school counselors like Ana Luna at Evergreen High School in Sylmar. Evergreen is a continuation school where young people are directed when they fall behind in their studies. Some are considered at-risk. If these young people show an interest in cars or something mechanical, they are often steered toward Acceler8. While there, the students go through regular instruction on how to perform various mechanical repairs on cars. The classes include cars the students fix to the point where they showcase the vehicles both locally and at even larger shows like the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
When Boykins first learned about the program, he asked about becoming involved. He thought this was a natural blending of his career in law enforcement, helping young people and his love for cars. Reaching these young people during the pivotal teenage years is crucial. “There’s a lot going on, their bodies are changing,” Boykins said. “They’re changing mentally. They’re trying to find out who they are as a person and who they want to be. A lot of times they’re led by what’s easy. They’re led by what’s fun. This program shows them, ‘You can still have fun. You can still do the right thing. You can still be walking that line toward the future.’”
Sgt. Woodruff was part of the original DRAGG program which was originally founded in 2009 by Oxnard Police Officers who wanted to give young people an outlet to stay away from gang life and work toward a potential career. The program is still running today.
Woodruff had coached basketball early in his law enforcement career, and was looking for something he could share with young people to keep them on the right path. He recalled a young man who was repeatedly getting in trouble while hanging out with gang members. “I kept telling him, ‘You’ve got more going on with you. You don’t have to keep hanging out with these people,’” Woodruff said. “He kind of laughed it off, and he had this look on his face. Like a blank stare to say that he didn’t really have anything to look forward to.”
A short time after that conversation, Woodruff received an emergency call to respond to a shooting. That same young man had been shot, and he died a short while later. This automotive program was born not long thereafter, and there have been many success stories.
When Boykins joined the program in 2018, it was with the intent of expanding Acceler8’s reach into Los Angeles. A year into his becoming the COO for the program, Boykins attended a graduation ceremony. One of the students had accrued more than $20,000 in debt for graffiti and had two older brothers who had become involved with gangs. Their father had spent time in prison, and was released right before the graduation. Acceler8 was recommended for the young man, who would eventually do so well in Acceler8 that he received a scholarship to Universal Technical Institute (UTI), a trade school that will help propel the young man’s career. “His father came to us with tears in his eyes, ‘Oh my God, you saved my son’s life. If it wasn’t for this program, he would have ended up in prison like me,’” Boykins said. “That was one of those heartfelt moments, and why we’re doing this.”
Boykins pointed out that prominent sponsors have seen the potential in Acceler8 and have become involved. The Petersen Automotive Museum has not only signed on as a sponsor, but last year opened up its garage, called the “Vault,” for the students to work on some rare and valuable vehicles. They’ve also gotten the opportunity to work on high-end cars through Haas F1 and the private collection of the late George Barris, who owns many vintage cars that have been highlighted on TV such as KITT from the Knight Rider series. They also are exposed to luxury autos like Rolls-Royces, DeLoreans and Ferraris, just to name a few.
While some students have turned up their noses at the “old” technology, getting the opportunity to practice their skills on prominent vintage cars gives them the practical experience that will help them in their futures. It also shows them that even growing up in areas where crime is a problem, they can still work toward a brighter future. “In my opinion, it’s everything,” Boykins said. “I think that’s the difference between people who rise to that threshold and people who don’t. It’s the hope and the opportunity. A lot of the kids I’ve met who grew up in that area, they just don’t think that’s available to them. If they don’t play sports, they don’t write and sing a song, they’re not going to make it out of the neighborhood. They’re not going to afford to buy those nice cars, to buy the nice house. We’re showing them, if you get your hands dirty and work hard – be the hardest worker in the room – you can make things happen. You can create your own future.”
Two students who have worked with Acceler8 to create their own futures are Lesley Hernandez and Marcos Gonzalez. They were both referred to the program through Luna, and have received helpful instruction. Hernandez recently graduated from Evergreen, and has enlisted in the Navy. She’s awaiting her ship date.
Hernandez received the interest in cars from her father, who has worked on cars as a hobby for a long time and been an avid fan of stock car races. Father and daughter have enjoyed days at the California Speedway in Fontana.
Part of her involvement in the program has been the interaction with Boykins and other officers. She’s seen a more personal side of law enforcement that is very gratifying. “I like his attitude,” Hernandez said of Boykins. “He’s very outgoing about everything that we’re doing. I feel like the program can help many students from the neighborhood to learn about cars and see different parts of how cars are built or where they’re from.”
Gonzalez is 17, and going into his senior year at Evergreen. He grew up in Pacoima, and ended up at Evergreen after falling behind at another high school. Gonzalez joined Acceler8 in March, and even though he only attended a few sessions he already saw benefits and can’t wait for classes to restart in the fall.
He said that before the program, he wasn’t sure of what his future would hold. Now he’s found how much he enjoys working with his hands, and would like to become a mechanic or electrician. He’s also enjoyed seeing a different side of police officers like Boykins. “Everybody’s different,” Gonzalez said. “The people in that program, they really want to help you. They’re positive influences. They’re good people. It humanizes them, in a way. When you see police, you don’t usually have these happy thoughts growing up in Pacoima.
“Not many people have this type of opportunity hands-on, fixing these cars, getting that experience before getting out of school and into the real world.”
Hearing these types of real-life stories repeatedly reminds Boykins why he became involved with Acceler8. He’s seen how these young people light up, not only in working on the cars, but also the special field trips where they’ve been able to get up-close looks at both classic and high-end vehicles. Boykins has also seen growth in how the students are taught vital life skills like shaking hands, preparing for and talking during interviews.
Some of the most impactful moments have happened when alumni of the program and other people who work in the automotive industry have come to talk with the current students. “It was a great atmosphere,” Boykins said. “It’s one thing for me to tell them that they can be successful, but then they see one of the students that they knew walking around the school has a well-paying job. Now they see, maybe this does work… That’s what we preach from Day 1. They kind of see it. You bring someone in, they tell their story. They’re driving nice cars. They don’t have a record. They’ve done everything right. They’re out there working harder than everyone else. It started to click. It sets the path for the rest of the course. Now they’re thinking, ‘This might be a possibility. I can do this.’ Before it didn’t come across their mind.”
Acceler8 is doing well to position these students for the future. There is a STEM curriculum tied to the program that teaches the students coding, for another skill that could help down the road. Haas F1 has agreed to hire graduates of the program who receive a letter of recommendation. Many others have joined in helping out. “This program does not work without the great partners of our community,” Boykins said. “From the lead instructors Paul Alkhasian from PK Auto Design, Jose Valencia from VA Performance, the one and only garage of Galpin Auto Sports and the team of Tommy Rezaie.
“Abraham Lincoln once stated, ‘In the end, it is not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years,’”
Boykins also relishes the strides the students have made to get to know and trust the police officers through Acceler8. Often, the walls start to come down when Boykins would bring a fixed-up car to a school assembly where he talks about the program. As more interactions happen, something important occurs. “I’m no longer Officer Boykins. It’s, ‘I want to take a picture with Derrick and the police car,’” he said. “It breaks down the barriers. Now they see you almost like family. You’re welcomed into the circle. When I first got into this, I thought if I can turn one kid away from a life of crime and get off the streets. Now we’re getting tons. The exposure of it, it’s almost like a stepping stone of getting into trade schools or going to college.
“For me, I have the opportunity and the platform. A lot of people want to do it, I guess I just see the opportunity and I’m not going to pass it on to someone else. For me, it’s kind of my obligation and my place to do it.”
For the future, Boykins would like to see Acceler8 continue to grow so that it can help more young people in high-need areas of Los Angeles. Other officers have volunteered while others have helped with donations.
Now a 10-year veteran of the LAPD, Boykins has seen how programs like Acceler8 have helped in the community. The more community members see officers helping citizens prosper in their lives, it is invaluable for the future. “My big thing with the community is, police don’t solve crimes, people do,” Boykins said. “The more people we can get on our side. The more people we can get to trust us and believe we’re doing the best things possible in those situations, the more people we can get to help us solve those crimes and prevent them.”
These goals are very much aligned with the goals of the LAPD. “According to our Department’s mission and pillars of trust, you need to have partnerships in the community,” Boykins said. “And part of that partnership within the community is trust. At the end of the day, people call 911 because they need a service. And they’re usually calling at the worst possible moment of their life. As a police officer, you have to respond and regardless of what you’re dealing with at home, you have to put all that stuff aside to help that person in need. This program builds trust, and now that person can call the police willingly when they have that emergency, and know that the police will be there to help them out. For me, the culture across the country, there is a distrust. This program, and programs like this, can build that trust and a brighter future because without that trust we can’t do anything. Police cannot solve crimes without the community.”
