Full Notification

The men and women of the Santa Barbara Police Department are pleased to announce the first graduations of 5th grade students participating in the G.R.E.A.T. Program. The G.R.E.A.T. Program, Gang Resistance Education and Training, is a national gang and violence prevention program built around school-based, law enforcement officer-instructed classroom curricula. The goal of the program is to teach students to develop positive solutions and to practice appropriate decision making when faced with tough life decisions.

In Santa Barbara the G.R.E.A.T. Program was introduced in October 2014 as a pilot project, a collaborative effort between the Santa Barbara Police Department and the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Officer Adrian Gutierrez taught the course to 5th grade students at Monroe, Harding, and McKinley Elementary Schools and this group is now set to graduate. Ceremonies will take place at the following dates and locations. The news media is invited to attend.

• December 1, 2014: Monroe School, 431 Flora Vista Drive, 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. in the cafeteria

• December 2, 2014: Harding School, 1625 Robbins Street, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the cafeteria

• December 5, 2014: McKinley School, 350 Loma Alta Drive, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the auditorium