Hillsboro Police Officer Pioneers L.E.A.D. Community Prevention Officer Program

Participants in L.E.A.D.’s inaugural Community Prevention Officer (CPO) pilot program, including Officer Michael DeTurris, standing, right, discussed the outcomes of their community prevention initiatives during a panel presentation at the 21st Century Drug & Violence Prevention Training Conference at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City. (Photo Courtesy L.E.A.D.)

Officer Michael DeTurris of the Hillsboro Police Department is one of the nation’s first officers to complete the L.E.A.D. Community Prevention Officer (CPO) program, helping pioneer an evidence-based approach to drug and violence prevention while building a youth vaping prevention initiative tailored to the Hillsboro community’s needs.

Officer DeTurris was among 12 officers from eight states selected for the CPO program’s first class. Following months of virtual and in-depth training in prevention science, strategic planning, and evidence-based practices conducted in partnership with Applied Prevention Science International (APSI), each officer assessed local community needs, developed a prevention initiative designed to produce measurable outcomes, and presented the project during the L.E.A.D. (Law Enforcement Against Drugs & Violence) National Training Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

L.E.A.D. created the CPO program to extend prevention efforts beyond the classroom by training officers to identify local risk factors, build partnerships throughout their communities, and implement prevention strategies that can be evaluated and refined over time. L.E.A.D. plans to expand the program nationwide as more officers become certified CPOs.

“Through the CPO program, we support officers working directly with the community to help them make their community safer,” said Nick Loizzi Jr., L.E.A.D. Vice President of Programs and CPO Coordinator.

Dr. Zili Sloboda, founder and president of APSI and a longtime member of L.E.A.D.’s board of directors, said the program introduces law enforcement to prevention science and helps officers develop community-based initiatives rooted in research rather than intuition.

“The role of the Community Prevention Officer is to expand this information to the community,” Dr. Sloboda said. “We’re hoping to have Community Prevention Officers get to know the community, recognize what’s going on and identify where the gaps are.”

For Officer DeTurris, that meant addressing the growing use of nicotine and THC vaping products among young people through prevention efforts rooted in education, research, and long-term evaluation.

Drawing on the prevention science principles taught through the L.E.A.D. CPO program, Officer DeTurris developed a youth vaping prevention initiative that combines evidence-based classroom instruction, parent outreach, and community education while measuring its effectiveness over time to better protect young people from nicotine and substance use.

“The training that I received helped me both understand better and feel more confident in developing plans and applying strategies in my fight against underage vape use,” Officer DeTurris said.

L.E.A.D. Executive Director and CEO Nick DeMauro praised Officer DeTurris for demonstrating how prevention science can equip law enforcement to address emerging public health concerns before they become larger community problems.

“Officer DeTurris exemplifies exactly what the L.E.A.D. Community Prevention Officer program was created to accomplish,” DeMauro said. “By combining prevention science with strong community partnerships, he is developing solutions that address the unique needs of his community while helping demonstrate how this program can strengthen prevention efforts nationwide.”

To learn more about L.E.A.D.’s mission to keep young people safe from drugs and violence, visit LEADrugs.org. To support programs like the Community Prevention Officer program, visit LEADrugs.org/donate.