Source: The Associated Press

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,505040233,00.html

On June 14, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "A shaven-headed Buddhist monk in a saffron robe, the Venerable Sao Khon seems an unlikely crimefighter. But he might be one answer to violence on this city's streets... [Lowell, MA] Police are planning to refer Southeast Asian youngsters who have run away from home to the Cambodian-born monk and his brethren to provide moral and religious guidance. Police hope to catch youngsters at a crucial point and keep their lives on track... It is not the first time that law enforcement has turned to religious leaders for help with youth crime. Ministers were enlisted, for example, in the battle against violence in Boston's black community in the 1990s, a program that has become a national model."