Timothy B. Howard, Sheriff of Erie County

Sheriff Timothy B. Howard  37 year career in law enforcement 24 years with the New York State Police 8 years as the Undersheriff of Erie County  Family of Law Enforcement  Since becoming Sheriff, I’ve had a passion for preventing underage drinking Early adopter of law enforcement-driven environmental prevention in NYS

History of ECSO Prevention  1981 – Creation of Sheriff’s Public Awareness is Prevention Program Initial focus on school-based drug education ○ K-9 Drug Education, Assembly Programs, Drug Displays, one-time programs  1980s Heightened Alcohol Enforcement ○ Alcohol server training ○ First DWI patrols

History of ECSO Prevention  1980’s and 1990’s Development of Community Coalitions Move towards science-based, school-based drug education ○ Project Alert, LST, Botvin  Late 1990s State-directed focus on Underage Drinking ○ Not A Minor Problem Campaign Branding alcohol as a “drug” Began to use mass media Aim to change norms about underage drinking

Law Enforcement in Prevention Availability Regulations Norms ALL YOUTH  Unique Position of Law Enforcement Can act on all three strategies o Regulations/Laws/Policies e.g. enforcement of social host laws o Availability e.g. server trainings o Norms Mass media, parent forums

Multi-part Public Awareness Campaign for the New Millennium  2006 – ECSO transitioned from school- based to environmental prevention strategies  In collaboration with the Center for Health & Social Research at Buffalo State College: Used a data-driven approach to target the highest risk areas within the ECSO patrol districts ○ Southern Erie County

Multi-part Public Awareness Campaign for the New Millennium  Recruitment of coalition members/community partners Letter-mailings, newspaper articles, local media ads Key Informant Interviews to identify the specific community problems and nuances Community buy-in from schools, local businesses, parents, churches, and local government

Multi-part Public Awareness Campaign for the New Millennium  Over the past 3 years, the ECSO has fostered a relationship with three independent coalitions Collaborate with each other and with ECSO on coordinated prevention activities  Established working relationship with area schools and business  Six effective mass media campaigns

Mass Media  Law Enforcement has a special relationship with media outlets A natural mix through the years  ECSO Underage Drinking Media Campaign Use of mass media ○ Changing community norms Effective use of funds to reach maximum target audience ○ i.e. “biggest bang for the buck”

Mass Media  Posters, Postcards Distributed to EVERY Middle and High School in Erie County Examples in your folders  Table Tents Underage Drinking Message Distributed to every licensed liquor establishment in the County

Mass Media  Billboards Target a specific audience for a specific time Collaboration with other prevention agencies

Mass Media  National CineMedia In-Theatre Ads Large, diverse target audience Wide geographic reach Cost-effective

Campaigns – Responsible Choices  Tipline Statewide collaboration with Genesee County Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse  Serve Kids, Serve Time  Choose Your Ride  Underage Drinking Could Cost You

Campaigns – Responsible Choices  Prom and Graduation Heightened Awareness and Patrols  Red Ribbon Week  Red Ribbon Baseball Game  First Night / Drug-Free Tree  Working with Treatment Kids Escaping Drugs Mental Health

Role of Law Enforcement – Norms and Policies  Access for illegal underage sales  Hosting issues Target norms supporting providing alcohol to youth (sales/hosting)  Collaboration with parents, schools, prevention agencies Px2010 is THE collaboration in Erie County  Encourage parent forums Changing social norms

Parent Forums  Strong support for Parent Drug Awareness Forums Would like to see these adopted across the County Effective tool for law enforcement to partner with prevention agencies and school districts ○ ECSO-funded literature materials for parent forums Reduction in state funding for school resource officers ○ Law enforcement linkages will be important for schools in the future

Message for Parent Forums