NCJ Number
44621
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: (DECEMBER 1977) Pages: 474-483
Date Published
1977
Length
10 pages
Annotation
VIDEOTAPED AND LIVE ROLE-PLAY PRESENTATIONS ARE ASSESSED AS METHODS OF TRAINING POLICE TO USE INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN THE HANDLING OF DRUG OVERDOSE SITUATIONS.
Abstract
SEVENTY-FIVE POLICE OFFICERS FROM FIVE SUBURBAN POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., PARTICIPATED IN A TRAINING AND EVALUATION PROGRAM SET UP AS AN INSERVICE DRUG CRISIS INTERVENTION SEMINAR. FORTY-THREE OF THE OFFICERS WERE ASSIGNED TO TRAINING SITUATIONS; THIRTY-TWO SERVED AS CONTROLS. ALL OFFICERS IN THE TRAINING GROUPS TOOK A PRETEST; READ AN INTRODUCTORY HANDOUT ON DRUG OVERDOSE; VIEWED FIVE ROLE PLAYS DEPICTING POLICE INTERVENTION IN DRUG SITUATIONS INVOLVING OVERDOSES OF MARIJUANA, BARBITURATES, LSD, AMPHETAMINES, OR GLUE; PARTICIPATED IN A CLASS DISCUSSION; AND TOOK A POSTTEST. ONE GROUP SAW THE ROLE PLAYS LIVE, ONE SAW THEM ON AN UNINTERRUPTED VIDEOTAPE, AND THE THIRD SAW THEM ON A SEGMENTED VIDEOTAPE, WITH CLASS DISCUSSIONS INTERSPERSED WITH THE ROLE PLAYS. CONTROLS TOOK THE PRETEST AND POSTTEST BUT DID NOT READ THE HANDOUT OR VIEW THE TAPES. BOTH LIVE AND VIODEOTAPED ROLE PLAYS WERE EFFECTIVE IN INCREASING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT TREATMENT OF DRUG OVERDOSE SITUATIONS AND IN CHANGING POLICE ATTITUDES TOWARD DRUG USERS. THE SEGMENTED VIDEOTAPE APPROACH PROVED MOST EFFECTIVE. SUPPORTING DATA ARE INCLUDED.