You can warn young people about the dangers of drinking and driving, but you can only hope and pray that they heed the warning. In the spring of 1990, Dale Steward of the Mount Prospect Fire Department came up with a better way of conveying that warning. A police officer conducts a sobriety test on the driver, who is later led away in handcuffs. The crash victim is taken away in a body bag. Last year, the simulation was made even more chilling by showing the reaction of parents when a local minister and a police officer inform them that their child has been killed.
Surveys indicate that the simulation is very effective in getting through to students.
Regional Action Planning Project During the late 1980s, many community leaders in northwest Cook County became increasingly concerned about the growing presence of gangs in the suburbs. Gang activity was affecting schools, park districts, and social service agencies, spilling across municipal boundaries and frustrating the efforts of local law enforcement officials. In June 1990, a group of school superintendents, police chiefs, park district directors and social service agency heads met to address the problem. R.A.P.P. now has more than 30 member organizations in 13 communities, working together to eliminate the conditions that foster gang development. Taking a regional approach to the problem of gangs, members share information and work collaboratively on program planning and implementation.