South Florida Youth Football League games involving children between 5 and 15 were exposed earlier this year for rampant gambling, drinking and violence among parents and onlookers. Now law enforcement has one big way of stopping it.
As part of "Operation End Zone," the Fort Lauderdale Police Department showed off a new video surveillance vehicle that will be used to monitor and hopefully discourage the shenanigans that have been going on around the youth football games.
ESPN's "Outside the Lines," reported that tens of thousands of dollars are bet on the games, with youth players routinely paid bonuses for making big plays. The report estimated about a fourth of the crowd at games is made up of criminals. Drug dealers placed upwards of $20,000 in bets on regular-season games and $75,000 on a recent league "super bowl."
Police officials purchased a used armored truck for $10 from Brinks armored truck company that is set up to record video at all hours when parked in high crime areas.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports "The Peacemaker," as it's being called, will make its debut at the youth football games this Saturday.
