Every Fifteen Minutes
"EVERY FIFTEEN MINUTES" is a two-day program focusing on high school juniors and seniors which challenges them to think about drinking, personal safety and the responsibility of making mature decisions when lives are involved. The program's name was derived from the fact that every fifteen minutes someone in the United States dies in an alcohol-related traffic collision. Pre-selected students were removed from class by a uniformed police officer every 15 minutes. As the student was removed the officer read the student's obituary. The poster size obituaries, which included photographs, were written by the student's parents and were placed in the classroom for the remainder of the school year. The removed students were made up to resemble a "living dead" victim and then returned to class. When placed back into class, the students were not allowed to interact with other students but continued on with their class schedule. The student's parents simultaneously received a mock death notification from police officers at their homes or places of employment. Additionally, at lunch time, a staged drunk driving traffic collision was held on campus involving emergency personnel including police, fire, paramedics, helicopter rescue and coroners office. At the end of the day, the "living dead" students were taken to a local resort for overnight lodging in order to effectively simulate that the students were "gone." The students participated in activities including a barbecue and games, and had the opportunity to interact with guest speakers, police officers and members of the community. Students wrote letters to their parents relating feelings that had never been shared. The next day, an assembly was held at each high school where presentations were given by local emergency response teams, law enforcement, school staff, parents, and the students themselves. The last and most important thing impressed upon everyone was the importance of acknowledging the fact alcohol doesn't hurt just those who drink it, but too often the innocent are the victims.
The program was conducted for the first time in both Chico area high schools on May 15 and 16, 1996. Additionally, at the conclusion of the program participating students were provided the opportunity to compete for scholarships totaling $2,000 as a result of community donations of financial support. The "EVERY FIFTEEN MINUTES" Scholarship competition required each student to submit a three to four page essay titled "How The Decisions I Make Today Will Effect Not Only Myself But Others In My Life."
The "EVERY FIFTEEN MINUTES" program is the 1996 recipient of the California Crime Prevention Officers Association Award of the Year and the 1996 national winner of the "Excellence In Community Policing Awards, National League of Cities."
Additionally, because of the program's success, an Operational Plan was developed along with a thirty (30) minute documentary video depicting each segment of the program and illustrating the components necessary for duplication.
For additional information about this program, contact the Special Operations Section at (530) 897-4942.