Cops & Docs—

A Program Addressing Guns And Violence

By Tanjua Damon

With recent school shootings still on the minds of many an upcoming Cops & Docs program will hopefully give local high school students the tools they need to identify situations that require adult assistance.

On April 11, at 5:30 pm, at the Newtown Youth Services Office, Youth Officer Gladys Pisani as well as nurses Barbara Reilly and Joyce LaForte will provide information to high school students about gun control and other violent situations. Students will see graphic slides about the damage guns can do.

The facilitators of the program will provide real life scenarios for participants, after which they will be asked what could have been done differently, or were the consequences of the actions foreseeable.

According to Officer Pisani, 15 teenagers are affected every day by gun violence. The idea of Cops & Docs is to look at situations and understand the medical, emotional, and law aspects of when guns are involved.

“This is hands-on,” Officer Pisani said. “The students will learn about gun laws in Connecticut and what the parental responsibilities are as well.”

Helping kids to understand the importance of communicating with adults about situations that can become dangerous is one message the facilitators hope the students take home with them.

“We’re trying to differentiate between tattling and telling,” Mrs Reilly said. “Kids are getting better at communicating to an adult when they are worried about something.”

The Cops & Docs program started in Washington State to provide an alternative violence prevention program given by police and medical professionals in order to give students tools to protect themselves and their friends.

“The major consequences of gun violence are real,” Mrs Reilly said.

Through this program students will be able to stop and think about the effects of violence without it actually occurring and understand how such things can be prevented or controlled before a situation gets out of hand.

“They will be able to rewind what could have been done to prevent the situation,” Mrs LaForte said.

The Cops & Docs program will be held on April 11, at 5:30 pm at Newtown Youth Services, 41A Main Street. For more information call 270-4335.