Sheriff Departments Use Contemporary Videos for Education

Published May 13, 2010

USING CONTEMPORARY VIDEO TO EDUCATE YOUTH AND THEIR PARENTS

Northern California based film and video production company, Zan Media, commissioned by Marin and Mendocino County Sheriffs’ Robert Doyle and Tom Allan respectively, for projects aimed at striking a nerve in the community and hopefully saving lives in the process. The productions were extremely different in both content and style, but the goal, AWARENESS was the same.

My husband and I own Zan Media, http://www.zanmedia.com , and I am so proud to recount our interaction with these fine men and their departments, which serve this area with such notable distinction.

In Mendocino County, Sheriff Allman heard a clear mandate in his ‘06 election victory as Sheriff: solve the methamphetamine problem ravaging the county. But, in his words, “ I could think of 20 ideas that I knew wouldn’t work, but I needed one that MIGHT work, and I knew it couldn’t be as simple as throwing it into the hands of law enforcement.” He was struck by an idea that if parents, community youth counselors or religious leaders AND law enforcement worked together, they might be able to curb this crisis. The idea had several components: offer saliva drug testing to parents through the schools, coupled with an explanatory video. “Methamphetamine, Deathamphetamine” is the title, http://www.zanmedia.com/content.htm?mov=meth.mov , and result of the video portion of Sheriff Allman’s campaign which will kick off in earnest in 2008.

The video had a life and story of it’s own. On the first day of shooting at the Mendocino County jail, we noticed a group of female inmates of various ages working in the garden. They asked the Sheriff what we were doing, and testing his own statistics, that of the people incarcerated there in the last 30 days, 80% were “meth” related, he questioned how many of these four were in jail due, in some extent, to meth. They all were. Then to a one, they asked if they could participate in the video, to tell their own story of what this drug did to ruin their lives. To say this was compelling video footage is an understatement. It provided a core of realism to launch this campaign and seek a solution. We also interviewed a man who coined the term “deathamphetamine,” as he chronicled his slow decent into hell and back. While our journey into the interior of the jail, serenaded by a most unhappy inmate drying out, provided a stark visual backdrop, it is the story of the youth who takes a live, on camera drug test that offers the most dramatic moment. The citizens of Mendocino County are lucky to have a Sheriff that isn’t afraid to tackle difficult issues in a novel manner. Hopefully, this program will bring success in the year ahead.

In Marin County, a continuation of youth safety issues were the topic of “Trust Your Gut,” http://www.zanmedia.com/content.htm?mov=gut.mov , a video that appears on the Sheriff Department’s web site and is available through the Office of Education and other outreach groups. Sheriff Doyle, at the helm for many years, continues to “think outside the box” with a overwhelming sense of community, much like his Mendocino County counterpart. He enlisted the services of his department as well as police officers and detectives in the various cities in Marin County, to participate in this production, together. Scenarios include three distinct age related topics, from grade school-ers to preteens to college aged students, with information what each can do to stay safe. After each reenactment, a law enforcement officer presents some tips and the reenactment is “rewound” and played again, correctly. The combination of youth appealing video segments shot MTV style, along with the real officers appearing in the actual locations, creates an entertaining yet didactic vehicle.

I thank both of these dedicated men and their extraordinary staff for this opportunity.

Copyright
Christine Scioli

Christine Scioli owns Zan Media, a film and video production company with her husband, Don.

Sheriff Departments Use Contemporary Videos for Education

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