Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Cops, Kids And Community

By Saleem Rana


The host of the Woodbury Report K4HD.com radio show invited Jermaine Galloway, an Idaho police officer, to talk about the theme of the show, entitled "Cops, Kids and Community."

An Independent Educational Consultant since 1984, Lon Woodbury has worked with struggling teenagers and their families. An author on parenting books, he is also the founder of two businesses. One is Struggling Teens, Inc. The other is Woodbury Reports.

Officer Galloway

Officer Jermaine Galloway has been an Idaho law enforcement officer since 1997 and has more than 11 years experience in underage drinking, drug and alcohol enforcement. He has worked several different assignments, including: crime scene investigation (CSI), DUI task force, officer mentoring, and as a field training officer. He received his BA from the University of San Francisco and is currently an adjunct instructor at NNU (Northwest Nazarene University).

Struggling Teens Receive Help From Cops, Kids, and Community

Officer Jermaine began the interview by talking about how the drug and alcohol scene had changed drastically over the years. He said that experimenting with marijuana itself was a whole new experience because the drug had a level of potency never seen before.

The guest told Lon Woodbury that the advice he often gave to parents who asked him for help was to realize that there was a difference in drug usage, ranging from experimental to addiction, and that kids being kids were curious. Many kids, too, were doing really well for their age.

One thing the officer suggested was that parents become better listeners. Instead of jumping to conclusions about their son's or daughter's strange behavior, they should listen and discern. He suggested parents spend more time asking questions than leading the discussion. Often unusual behavior was not due to drugs, but struggles like poor grades or a broken relationship.

Officer Jermaine will often use a teen's bedroom as a theatrical prop. It will have typical furnishings like a clothes closet, a nightstand, a dresser, and a bed. It will also have clothes strewn on the floor, as well as pop culture posters. Using this scenario, he will educate parents on teenage culture. They will learn about the symbology used on clothing, the kinds of music favored by drug abusers, and the places often used to hide a stash.

Toward the close of the interview, Officer Jermaine talked about what parents can do to protect their kids, and recommended that they join and support community programs designed to raise awareness about negative social trends among youth.




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