Colusa County Sheriff's Office GREAT Program

The Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program is a life-skills competency program designed to provide students with the skills they need to avoid gang pressure and youth violence. G.R.E.A.T.'s violence prevention curriculum helps students develop values and practice behaviors that will assist them to avoid destructive activities. The G.R.E.A.T. program coordinates with federal, regional, state and local agencies, as well as individuals from community and civic groups. The goal of the G.R.E.A.T. program is to train law enforcement officers in a school-based curriculum in which the officers provide instruction to school-aged children in life skill competencies, gang awareness, and anti-violence techniques. Training in the core G.R.E.A.T. program is provided to officers from any state or local law enforcement agency.

The Colusa County Sheriff's Office will use its grant award to to implement two components of the G.R.E.A.T. curriculum in three school districts during the first year. These districts include the Colusa Unified School District, the Williams Unified School District, and the
Pierce Joint Unified School District. The Sheriff's Office will serve approximately 291 4th Grade students with the Elementary School component and approximately 323 7th Grade students with the Middle School component, for a total of 614 students. The objective is to assign one full-time, sworn Deputy Sheriff, with school resource and D.A.R.E. teaching experience, to teach G.R.E.A.T. in these three districts.

CA/NCF