LEO's -- DUI info

idsman75

Recruiters often prepare "canned speeches" to give to high school students when asked by school officials to come into classrooms and speak. I am preparing a presentation on the dangers of alcohol specifically as it relates to driving under the influence. Quite frankly, I am tired of the "designated driver" bit when it comes to teenagers that shouldn't be drinking in the first place. IMHO abstinance is the responsible choice but I was wondering if there were any valuable internet sites where I should be looking. I figure I'll squeeze as much out of the net since most other sources of info are only available during my work day which should run to about 17 hours tomorrow. Any help is appreciated.

b00mer

Tell them about a drunk police officer who hit and ruined a good mans life!get me an email and I'll try to scan and make a pdf file for you of the newspaper story , that is what they printed anyway. Half of the story is being hid by the local PD.

pikeal1

I think a good place to start would be the cost of a DUI. with all the fines, and lawyer fees, and fees probation, and to renew a drivers liscence, that alone would help push the kids in the right direction. What state are you in, and I'll try to dig up some sites with some info for ya.Alex

thesupermonkey

In order to make a point that will stick you need to take away their perceptions of immortality. Put together a slide show of graphic photos from DUIs. Kids drink and smoke because they are told they can't. Expect that they will drink but don't endorse it. [This message has been edited by thesupermonkey (edited 01-10-2002).]

idsman75

I live in the state of Iowa. I have to do a dry-run on the office tomorrow morning. Most hits I get on search engines are for attornies offering legal assistance in DUI cases.

concealedG36

I think Pikeal1 has it right. Tell them about how today's laws make life VERY hard after getting caught drinking and driving. My brother got caught in August of 2001 after he was drinking at a local pub. He got pulled over and blew a .14, 4 hundredths of a point over the legal limit. Today, mid-January 2002 he must make daily calls to an automated service to see if his color or number are listed. If so, he has to go to the nearest police station and take a breathalizer and/or a drug test (and pay for them). He has not been allowed to drink any alcohol since the day he was caught. His fines were over $1000 and his lawyer cost about the same. He just got his driver's license back in mid-December, they restricted it to work only. He had to get special permission to leave the country (he escorted my grandmother back to Austria) and he has to attend frequent substance abuse counseling. He has had to perform 100 hours of community service, including picking up trash along the highway, loading recyclable paper into trucks, etc. He is unable to apply for a CCW for the next 7 years and has had to inform his employer of his arrest since he is frequently required to leave work and take a breathalizer test or go to some other required thing.Overall, my brother has gone through HELL in the last 4+ months and it was all because of a split-second decision to drive after drinking. Our family has supported him throughout the entire fiasco because we all know what COULD have happened (he could be wrapped around a tree or been in jail permanently had he killed somebody else). Also, he has really looked closely at his life and what's important to him. He's a good guy and just made a mistake. Oh yeah, one more little point. The night my brother was arrested he was put in a county jail near Detroit. He was put in a room with about 25 other guys who didn't like him a whole lot. Spent the whole night hoping that they weren't going to kill him.But, tell the kids, they simply can't afford to risk it. If they're going to drink anyway, at least maybe you can get them do NOT drive afterwards.p.s. Of course, NOT drinking at all is better. But, do you remember when you were a teenager? I know there was no way I would have NOT drank.

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Gun Control Disarms Victims, NOT Criminals

AntiqueDr

Perhaps your local 911 EMS service can be of assistance. With the involvement of the police, we mock up a traffic accident in front of the school complete with wrecked cars (courtesy of a salvage yard), and real "victims" (enlisted volunteer students who are sworn to secrecy prior) that are appropriate moulaged. Usually one fatality, one critical, and one arrested.When we get it staged up, the school has a "fire drill" to get all the kids outside. They have no idea its staged for quite a while, then it sinks in. Then everybody goes to the auditorium for the guest speaker. We also have a set of special glasses that simulate the coordination problems after one drink, three drinks, etc, and have the students attempt to drive a video-game car.Seems to make more of an impact than a lecture or slide show alone, but does take some time and preparation.

Bullzeye

Being a high-school student, I might have some perspectives to offer on this topic.If at all possible, try and wear civvies when you go. The uniform, the badge, and the gun throws a lot of us off. Not myself mind you, but from what I've seen it makes some kids fearful and some resentful.Dwelling heavily on the criminal punishments for DUI and DWI is a slippery slope: most kids would probably do the "Well, I'll never do it so the punishment doesnt matter", and the others would just get more resentful, as in "What, this cop's gonna sit here and threaten me? Screw that!".Videos are not good. We've all seen them, and they bore us to tears. Even the bloody ones.Dont make it seem like it's the cops and the government vs. the kids. Fact: most kids will do some drinking in high school. If you give it to them both barrels about how they're gonna get tossed in jail and the key thrown away if they have a drink, they're gonna get bored, resentful, and uninterested really fast.The last time I had a police officer come talk to my class, he brought a survivor of a DWI with him. The guy was profoundly MR after driving his car into a tree during a bender. His story hit a lot of people hard, you could tell. It was real stuff, not a studio created video filled with actors or a preachy police officer.See if you can arrange for it: it works.

badboybob

Bullzeye i think you have your head screwed on right!

offeror

idsman --Try calling the local central office of Alcoholics Anonymous in your area and asking to get in touch with young members, male or female. There are teenagers in AA with several years of sobriety already. You could probably take one or two of them with you and give them a few minutes to talk, but at the very least you could interview them yourself and get some fresh input -- free of charge.

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idsman75

I got the first phone call today from a school liason officer. The police are asking US to give the speeches! That blew me out of the water. The school does not fall into my assigned zip codes but I will certainly pass your words of wisdom to the recruiter that is assigned to that school.Thanks for the info and the advice. I've found a wealth of knowledge on the internet that should prove to be beneficial.

Bullzeye

No prob. I'm just relaying what I've seen from my personal experiences.Of course, the model student that I am, I'd listen attentively to Atilla the Hun, but the advice would be moot on me in any case.Like bob said, she's screwed on pretty tight. Good think too, or I'd surely lose it.