LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - A long-time law enforcement officer and instructor for substance abuse prevention was in the Hub City Wednesday evening for the Lubbock Community Outreach Forum.
Officer Jermaine Galloway spoke at the forum hosted by the City of Lubbock Municipal Court, the Lubbock County Juvenile Justice Center, and Lubbock ISD.
The ‘Tall Cop Says Stop’ officer, Galloway spent more than 20 years in law enforcement and has been fighting underage alcohol and drug abuse for more than 18 years. He’s an internationally recognized instructor on trends in drug and alcohol culture.
He calls his training a 360 view of the drug world in an hour and a half. Although he’s in several states each week, he adjusts his message for each area.
Galloway’s motto is, “You can’t stop what you don’t know.”
“The more you can do on the prevention side, the less you have to do on the enforcement side. That means fewer people in prison, fewer people in jail, fewer people getting hurt, and fewer people who die. So, that’s really what it comes to. It doesn’t mean it stops all of it, but it sure does reduce it,” Galloway said.
Lynette Hollis, the Prevention Resource Center supervisor for Region 1, says vaping is a big issue for teens right now.
The PRC was just one of several community partners at the forum. Genesis St. Clair was there with HEARD or Helping Every Adolescent Reach Their Dreams. She says it’s important for students to get involved in prevention.
“If the students that are living it every day and see it every day can really get out there and speak to their peers, that makes the most difference because it’s not just adults talking at them, it’s their peers talking to them,” St. Clair said.
Galloway had one main piece of advice for parents - take the small stuff seriously.