New Gang Resistance Education and Training Program Instructors to Join Philadelphia Area Schools
PHILADELPHIA –Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Philadelphia Field Division hosted the graduation of 20 new Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program instructors today.
G.R.E.A.T. is an evidence-based, national and international gang and violence prevention program that has been building trust between law enforcement and communities for more than 30 years. The program partners law enforcement agencies with schools and youth organizations to provide law enforcement officer-instructed classroom curricula.
ATF Philadelphia Field Division Special Agent in Charge Eric DeGree welcomed the participants and commended them for their dedication to support this program. “Taking on an extra assignment, on top of your regular law enforcement duties, is tough. I appreciate each of you for stepping up and taking on this important task.” He further emphasized the importance of supporting the children in our communities. “This training will help you reach children in need. The more we can reach, the better we are as a city, a state, a nation and society.”
Local graduates of the four-day training program included Police Officers from Philadelphia, Abington and Morton Borough, a Special Agent from ATF Philadelphia Field Division, and a member of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Demonstrating the G.R.E.A.T. program’s valuable legacy, two of the new instructors were G.R.E.A.T. program graduates in their youth; Brandon Smith of the Philadelphia Police Department, and Ebony Worthham of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
In the Philadelphia area, the 15 local graduates will support the Philadelphia school district, Abington and Morton Borough schools, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia.
“The most effective way to fight gang violence is to keep young people from joining gangs in the first place,” said Jacqueline Romero, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “My office is proud to take part in the ATF’s G.R.E.A.T Program, alongside our law enforcement partners, working to bolster kids’ defenses against the ills of gang membership and violence. Our youth deserve support as they navigate their neighborhoods and lives, and outreach efforts like this can make an outsized difference.”
The program also graduated new G.R.E.A.T. instructors from U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware; City of Clarksville, Tennessee; Nassau County Police Department, New York; and Bureau of Indian Affairs, Ft. Washakie, Wyoming.
“Since 1992 ATF has partnered with our state and local partners on G.R.E.A.T. programs throughout the country with the purpose combating violent crime through crime prevention,” said Veronica Morales Miller, ATF G.R.E.A.T. Acting Program Manager, who organized the training. “The ATF G.R.E.A.T. program gives our employees the opportunity to prevent violent crime by teaching children life skills that will help them become law abiding citizens. Students are taught how to set goals, resist peer pressure, respect differences, resolve conflicts and understand how gangs and drug abuse can negatively impact their quality of life and their community.”
Information on the G.R.E.A.T. program, its mission and impact on communities is online at www.atf.gov/resource-center/fact-sheet/fact-sheet-gang-resistance-education-and-training-great-program .
