Always Safe, Always Prepared (ASAP)

The ASAP program, "Always Safe, Always Prepared," was developed to provide instruction to students on an invitation basis. Teachers and schools can make requests to have officers come in and provide instruction on a wide variety of topics on an as-needed basis. This allows much more flexibility for the teachers and also allows the teachers to pick a class that may be more incident or time appropriate based upon certain behaviors or conditions that exist in the classroom or at the school.

Menu of Courses

All classes are designed to be 30 minutes in length and are designed for a classroom setting, though an auditorium-style presentation can be accommodated.

Kindergarten

• Officer Friendly - A police officer comes into the classroom and does an introduction, explains the equipment, and generally allows the children to become a little more comfortable being around a police officer. The most important message is that children can trust the police and that if they need help that they can go to the police.
• Child ID - We come to the classroom and fingerprint the children with the KidCare ID system. The prints and forms are given to the children to take home to the parents. This is for the benefit of a parent in case their child should ever be lost or missing.
• The Police Car - A police officer brings their police car to the school and shows the children the different things about a police car. Again, this is a familiarization lesson to continue to break down any fears that children may have about police officers.

1st Grade

• Stranger Danger - The police officer teaches the children who a stranger is - someone that you do not know and that this person can be anyone (big, little, old, young, etc). The goal is to teach the children to not go with, talk with, or take things from people that they do not know. The officer also teaches them how to respond if someone does approach them.
• How to Report an Emergency / 911 - We teach the children that they need to know their address, phone number, and last name. If they are ever lost or they are home and their parent is hurt and they need to make a call, this teaches the child what to do. This class provides children with examples of what an emergency really is. It also teaches the child not to play on the phone and dial 911 if it is not an emergency.

2nd Grade

• Bicycle Safety - Provides basic bicycle and helmet safety rules and tips for children. Addresses basic rules of the roadway for bicyclists (from a child's perspective). Also discusses seat belt safety.
• Internet Safety - A fun and informative class that teaches children how to be safe while on the internet.
• Eddie Eagle Gun Safety - This class discusses the importance of gun safety and not playing with guns. This includes gun safety at home, while at other people's homes, should the child find a gun, or should a friend decide they want to show the child a gun.
• Safety Tips - The police officer shows different scenarios through the use of posters and has the children help to problem solve how they would deal with the issues, including staying with a buddy, pedestrian safety, bicycle safety, what to do if someone calls on the phone, how to answer the door, etc.

3rd Grade

• How to Say No - This course takes the child through several ways to say no to bad choices and discusses the good and bad consequences of the choice that may be made.
• The Difference Between Drugs and Medicines - This course teaches the child that some drugs are designed to help you, but only if taken properly. This touches on some of the bad drugs, but the main focus is to identify that not all medicines do the same thing and that just because one person takes a medicine for something, that doesn't mean that the child should also take the same medicine.

4th Grade

• Dealing with Peer Pressure - What is a peer, how do they pressure you, and how do you make good choices?
• Consequences - The results of the choices that you make and how they impact you.

5th & 6th Grade

There are a variety of classes that can be taught at this level and would encompass many of the traditional DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) classes, including:

• Basic drug identification and issues - gateway drugs (alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, cigarettes)
• Dealing with violence and gangs
• Developing assertive behaviors - learning how to say no
• Drug influence signs and symptoms
• How the media influences you, and what is the truth of the message?
• Identifying feelings and emotions and appropriate ways to respond
• Problem-solving solutions
• Social and legal responsibilities

7th Grade

• Career Choices - Officers come to the classroom and talk about public safety career choices and the things that a student would need to do to prepare themselves for a career in law enforcement, or any trusted position.

8th & 9th Grade

• Choices and Consequences - A frank discussion with the students about the consequences of alcohol, tobacco, drug use, and status offenses, detailing what will happen to them within the judicial system and the resulting consequences to their license, record, etc.

10th Grade

• Driving and Traffic Safety - From a police officer's perspective, what happens when you're stopped, what happens if you're cited, what is a suspension of a driver's license, how does a suspension happen, what is a provisional license, and what are the consequences if you violate it, discussion about driving with a permit outside of the permit requirements. Lots of room in this class for questions and answers.

11th & 12th Grade

• Student Police Academy