Yarmouth Police Officer Recognized for Drug Prevention Efforts

May 5, 2023

YARMOUTH – A Yarmouth police officer has been recognized as “Massachusetts Instructor of the Year” by nationwide nonprofit Law Enforcement Against Drugs & Violence (L.E.A.D) for his efforts in preventing drug use among local students.

School Resource Officer (SRO) for Dennis-Yarmouth Intermediate Middle School Sean Brewer said the curriculum he teaches from the nonprofit builds on the strong relationships he has grown with the students.

Brewer has been teaching L.E.A.D. for one year to sixth and seventh grade students.

“That was the biggest thing why I like this age group. Because they’re kids. They’re supposed to make mistakes. We expect them to make mistakes. So when they do make mistakes, I’m there to try to say ‘hey look let’s learn from your actions and your decisions and let’s see if we can go forward,’” said Brewer.

“I’m not going to hold it against you. I might have to take some kind of law enforcement action on it, but it doesn’t mean my opinion of you has changed. It’s just that I have to do my job. But I’m going to work with you to see if we can learn from this experience and make it better.”

The curriculum is a 10-week program that educates students on how they can avoid involvement in drugs and violence.

“SRO Brewer truly deserves this award, and we congratulate him on an excellent job helping kids in Yarmouth understand why steering clear of harmful substances, such as drugs and alcohol, is vital,” said Nick DeMauro, CEO of L.E.A.D in a statement.

“He’s allowing students to take away crucial life skills as they receive lessons on how to set goals, manage their emotions and make good decisions, in addition to learning about the dangers of drugs and violence. We’re confident that SRO Brewer’s instruction is helping us to accomplish our goal of advancing police-community relationships.”

As two opposing bills on Beacon Hill that would either expand or scale back the presence of SRO’s in the Commonwealth’s schools are considered by lawmakers, Brewer said he favored expanding the program. He added that SROs leave a positive impact on students and helps them see police as friends in times of crisis.

More on L.E.A.D, their mission and training programs can be found here.

By Grady Culhane, CapeCod.com Newscenter