HOWELL – Howell Township Police Chief John Storrow has been honored with the “L.E.O. Award” from L.E.A.D. (Law Enforcement Against Drugs & Violence).
The nationwide nonprofit L.E.A.D. works with communities to help students understand the dangers of drugs and violence.
Chief Storrow received the award at L.E.A.D.’s ninth annual 21st Century Drug and Violence Prevention Training Conference in Orlando, Florida. He was selected due to his excellent work overseeing Howell’s school resource officers (SROs), who educate students on curriculum implemented by L.E.A.D.
“We congratulate Chief Storrow on his outstanding job looking after the L.E.A.D. program in Howell Township. His award is well deserved,” said Nick DeMauro, CEO of L.E.A.D. “Chief Storrow’s commitment to making sure that our program on drug and violence prevention runs smoothly in his town is helping us to continue accomplishing our goal of bettering police-community relationships.”
L.E.A.D. brings law enforcement and communities closer together, providing services “On The Street” and “In The Classroom.”
The “In The Classroom” program is taught by more than 5,000 trained instructors in 45 states, who are serving more than 500,000 students in 2,500 school systems.
L.E.A.D. curriculum is presented to K–12 students and focuses on anti-drug and anti-violence. The 10-week program educates the youth on how they can make smart decisions without the involvement of drugs or violence.
In Howell Township, the curriculum is instructed to nearly 600 fifth grade students at Ardena Elementary School, Memorial Elementary School, Ramtown Elementary School, Aldrich Elementary School and Newbury Elementary School.
Chief Storrow noted that students enjoy having a police officer as their teacher for the 10-week program.
“It’s very cool for the children, who are just around 10 years old, to get to talk to and bond with the police officer that comes into their classroom,” Chief Storrow said. “L.E.A.D. gives them the opportunity to learn from someone in law enforcement, which isn’t an everyday occurrence. The kids enjoy being able to tell their friends that they’re enrolled in a class that’s taught by a police officer, and the relationship that they build with the police continues to grow as the students get older.”
Chief Storrow believes that educating kids about the consequences of their choices helps keep them off of things like alcohol and drugs.
“L.E.A.D. teaches the students what they should and shouldn’t be doing, which is especially important for those who don’t have the luxury of having a strong household where they’ve already begun to learn what’s right from wrong,” Chief Storrow said. “The curriculum teaches the children that making a poor choice, such as one that involves drugs or violence, will come with a consequence. Therefore, I think that they’ll do everything in their power to avoid making those bad decisions, using the foundation that L.E.A.D. has given them.”
“The L.E.A.D. program is a way for our SROs to influence every fifth grader that goes through the school system in Howell Township in a positive way,” added Chief Storrow. “The information that the police officers pass along to the students filters through the rest of the community, helping to make our town a safer, more cohesive place.”
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