The "Public Awareness Is Prevention Program" was developed by the Erie County Sheriff's Office in 1982 to promote the idea of prevention and education as the most effective way to reduce substance abuse in Erie County. This program is funded by the New York State Office of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse.
Mission: To prevent or delay the onset of alcohol and other drug use, and to eliminate or reduce the high-risk use of drugs and alcohol through the application and principles of risk reduction and building -resiliency.
The Public Awareness is Prevention program is using environmental prevention strategies to continue to build two ongoing coalitions in Erie County on Underage Drinking and Drugs.
Coalitions' goals are to develop community change through:
- Providing information- education presentations, workshops, or other presentations of data (e.g. public announcements, brochures, billboards, cinema advertising, dissemination, community meeting, forums, school presentation, Wiki space, and web-based communications,
- Enhancing skills of coalition members and the community by increasing their skills to deal with underage drinking and drug issues.
- Providing support – Creating opportunities to support people to participate in activities that reduce risk or enhance protection (e.g. providing alternative activities, mentoring, referrals, joining clubs.)
- Enhancing Access/ Reducing Barriers- Improving systems and processes to increase the ease, ability, and opportunity to utilize those systems and services (e.g. education, safety, special needs, cultural and language sensitivity).
- Changing Consequences- increasing or decreasing the probability of a specific behavior that reduces risk or enhances protection by altering the consequences for performing that behavior (e.g. increasing public recognition for individual and community members, reward citations, fines, revocation/ loss of privileges for inappropriate behavior.
- Modifying/ Changing Polices- Formal change, proclamations, laws with written documentation (e.g. law enforcement, school policy, public policy actions, system change with local government, community, and organizations when dealing with underage drinking and alcohol.
The Erie County Sheriff's Office provides alcohol training to traditional and non – traditional outlets training on request.
Other Services offered by this program
- Underage Drinking Campaign
- Parental awareness programs
- Community awareness/community mobilization (after school/evenings)
- Drug displays
- Drug training - Employees - New Hires - Volunteers
Contact Deputy Daniel Wood at 716.440.9558 or Daniel.Wood@erie.gov