Fighting the war on drugs with music.

The drug problems of today prompt police departments nationwide to implement various programs that promote drug awareness among the youth in their communities. While many of these programs fail due to a lack of interest on the youths' part, the Hamilton County, Ohio, Police Association (HCPA), which includes 44 law enforcement agencies within the county, adopted a program that both young people and the surrounding communities enthusiastically support. Based on a Columbus, Ohio, program, the HCPA began a police band that communicates a strong antidrug and alcohol message to the youth of the community.

The Model

The HCPA modeled its antidrug band after the Columbus, Ohio, Police Department's antidrug band, "Hot Pursuit." This group of police officers visits area schools to send an antidrug message through rock concerts. Most importantly, it delivers the message in a language and manner that students both understand and appreciate. From the strike of the first note to the final curtain, the emotionally charged atmosphere pulsates with a "just say no" attitude. Students and teachers clap and sway to the music,. providing an almost instant bonding among teachers, students, and musical cops in uniform.

The popularity and success of "Hot Pursuit" limit its availability. Therefore, the HCPA decided to form a band that could fill the needs of its local communities.

HCPA's "Most Wanted"

When the HCPA formed its own antidrug band, it made two fundamental changes from its counterpart in Columbus. First, unlike its model band, which is staffed only by personnel from the Columbus Police Department, "Most Wanted" promotes a regional concept; therefore, the participating police officers come from throughout the county rather than from one department. This allows a cross-section of law enforcement to present a sincere group effort.

In addition, the HCPA strives to keep the band diverse, both in gender and race. This illustrates to the youth of the community that reducing the demand for drugs must be a community undertaking that crosses all social lines.

Once the HCPA established guidelines for the band's formation, it needed to determine exactly what age groups to target. Research revealed that between the fourth and eighth grades, 90 percent of the children in the Greater Cincinnati area are approached to use alcohol or illegal drugs. Therefore, the band targets the youth in these age groups.

Implementing

the Program

It takes a tremendous amount of cooperation between agencies to get a joint project of this type to work. However, because a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect already existed between the member departments of the HCPA, it was possible to cut through the necessary red tape to form this local band.

Nineteen police officers from 16 departments throughout Hamilton County (10 musicians and 9 support and technical personnel) now comprise the "Most Wanted" band. All officers wear their uniforms while performing at area schools, and the concerts, which have music, singing, flashing police lights, and pyro-technics, occur approximately two to three times a month.

Conclusion

Young people respond to the concept of a law enforcement-oriented rock band. For example, "Most Wanted" performed in concert at an area junior high school, during which there was a singing contest among the female and male students and the teachers. The various groups responded "just say no" to a popular 60s song. Whichever group responded the loudest won, and the losers went on stage to sing the song with the band. Needless to say, the teachers lost - to the delight of every student present.

Several months after the concert, the school's principal wrote to say that when the same 60s song was played at a school-sponsored dance, the entire student body responded "just say no" to the record, just as they had done at the concert. This was proof-positive that "Most Wanted" concerts impact on young people. At the very least, students walk away from the concerts with positive feelings toward police officers.

The "Most Wanted" band plays only in Hamilton County schools, simply because this antidrug program is so popular that the band cannot fulfill all of the local requests. The band turns down requests to appear at schools in other counties and States so that area schools can benefit from the program.

However, other agencies throughout die country can develop programs of this type in their respective areas. This program benefits the youth of the community by getting an antidrug message out to them in an effective way, and it benefits the involved agencies by allowing them to build an important rapport with both students and teachers.