For most, being stopped by a police officer can be an unpleasant experience. But to young men and women who have just recently started driving, their first experience with a police officer pulling them over can range anywhere from mildly unnerving to an all-out full panic response. It is in those first 30 seconds of a police-initiated traffic stop that things can go terribly wrong if either party reacts the wrong way.
In partnership with the local Rotary clubs, Saint Leo University has joined with the Tampa Bay Area Alliance for Peace & Conflict Resolution on the First 30 SecondsSM project, which strives to abate any conflict that may result from a police-civilian encounter that gets out of hand. This Peace & Conflict Resolution micro-credential course is intended for concerned law enforcement officers and community leaders/role models to become certified to teach the First 30 SecondsSM methodology at regional schools.
