The Hawthorne Police Department hosted the annual Stone Cold assembly for Hawthorne High School seniors on May 30, June 2, and June 6, 2014. The assembly, which is given the week of Senior Prom, educated students on the dangers of drunk driving.

Lieutenant James Knepper and Lieutenant Robert King, the officers who conducted the assembly, were very straightforward with the over 150 seniors in attendance. During the first day of the presentation, the officers started off by letting the students know that they were not there to judge people’s decisions, but they were there to make HHS students aware of and safe from the dangers of drinking and driving.

To introduce the topic, students were shown a video in which a group of teenagers are drinking at a party. At some point, they decide that they are hungry and should drive to their local diner to get something to eat. All three teenagers get in the car intoxicated. As a consequence, the driver’s judgment is compromised, and he hits a person walking on the sidewalk and severely wrecks his car. The struck pedestrian, as well as both passengers, die that night at the hospital. The realistic and eye-opening video then showed the driver in court, being sentenced to 25 years in federal jail for involuntary manslaughter of the three victims. After the emotional video was over, all seniors were quite and thoughtful as Knepper and King took a few questions about the scene played out on front of them.

The next day, Knepper and King came back to the high school to have a Q&A sessions with the seniors. During this portion of the assembly, senior students asked questions about drunk driving, receiving tickets, and laws they need to abide by.

The Stone Cold assembly concluded on Friday, June 6, the day of Senior Prom. On the third day of the presentation, Hawthorne police officers, accompanied by a few members of the Hawthorne Fire Department, showed a video about the consequences of drunk driving presented by Kinnelon High School.

Now fully aware and properly educated on the consequences of drunk driving, the seniors were wished a happy and safe prom and prom weekend by the Hawthorne Police Department, Hawthorne Fire Department, and Hawthorne High School.