Dickinson Southwest Coalition Program Highlights For December

The Police Department, Sheriff's Department and North Dakota Highway Patrol all participated with a 3D booth at the Prairie Hills Mall. Each law enforcement agency distributed information on alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs through the entire day. We also had the wheel of safety game, asking both youth and adults questions relating to the current laws regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Some youth were surprised with the answers to some of the questions. Sgt. Eldon Mehrer developed a one-page flyer titled "It's The New Law!" on Graduated Driver Licensing. This brochure was distributed at the booth to adults and youth. It will also be retyped and used at the Junior and Senior High Schools during the Buckle Up Campaign. Information on Child Restraint is also on this sheet, so it will tie in nicely to that campaign. Other 3D month booth participants were State Farm Insurance - Todd Otto, with driving safety; 911 Emergency -- Gary Kostelecky; Southwest Coalition of Safe Communities; Lori Pachl -- Rehab Visions; Search and Rescue Teams; and the Dive Team. Adults visiting the booth were encouraged to register for door prizes which had been donated by each booth participant. Killdeer Dunn Active Youth brought four youth that helped set up a Christmas tree and decorated it with a red bulbs for each of those killed in a car crash in 2001. It was left on display until after New Years. Two of the Dunn Active Youth also dressed in the Vince & Larry costumes and went up and down the mall distributing buckle up information and telling people to wear their seat belts. Stark County Sheriff's Department brought in two bloodhounds for people to see and watch as they sat by the fingerprint and Photo ID booth area. Approximately 300 ID cards were prepared.

The Law Enforcement Officers all participated in the 3D booth, Lights On For Life, and the Parade of Lights. A Lights On For Life ceremony was scheduled following the Parade of Lights in the Park on Sims and Villard. The half hour ceremony started about 7:00 PM with Christmas carols by the Hagen Junior High Choir, directed by Les Dykema. The 30 member choir also sang a few carols to close the ceremony. Approximately 75 people attended the ceremony. Dickinson State University donated the use of a portable loudspeaker system for a Law Enforcement officer to read the names of those killed in vehicle crashes in the State of North Dakota during the year 2001. 103 names were read. These deaths all involved alcohol and/or not wearing a seatbelt. Pastor Scott McKirdy, from the United Methodist Church and Southwest Coalition for a Safe Community, gave a Christmas blessing to and spoke kindly of those that were killed in crashes that year. Pastor McKirdy asked all of us to remember those that had been killed and keep them in our thoughts and prayers and heart. A Santa was hired to be in the Parade and hand out candy canes to youth attending the ceremony.

At the September and November SWCSC meetings, several members discussed underage drinking among college and high school students in our area. Kathy Jahner from DSU indicated that they had an Alcohol 101 education class that they haven't been using because they felt it was ineffective. Students thought it was a joke. Red Ribbon Week and National Collegiate Week activities supported by SWCSC, Law Enforcement and Todd Auto Insurance had good participation. The group decided to develop a video and interactive CD on the consequences of drinking and driving or binge drinking. A committee of 7 or 8 people will get together to develop a curriculum and look for funding for this project. The following current available data will be used in developing the curriculum: Search Institute Survey, Regional Drug & Alcohol Survey, and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. This video and CD would be marketed to colleges and the high schools.
Through an ongoing partnership with Jack Carlson from Dickinson High School, the Regional Drug & Alcohol Survey was distributed to all schools in the region for grades 6 through 12. The surveys will be compiled and graphs prepared for distribution to all regional schools by early May.

With assistance from St. Joseph's Hospital, Westwind Consulting, Heart River Drug and Alcohol, Badlands Human Service Center, Dickinson State College, Dickinson High School, Trinity High School and the Prairie Hills Mall an Alcohol Screening Day was held April 11, 2002. A meeting was scheduled for January to coordinate future activities.