'DEAR RON' LETTER

Davis Misses Point On DARE Program

Since Ron Davis was nice enough to quote me last week when I "dared" the
City Council and Police Department to "do the right thing" and not
eliminate the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program, I feel it only
appropriate to respond to his message to offer alternatives in regards to
the 5% budget cut ("Some don't DARE grab this bull by the horns," June 21).

This "long-faced citizen" (sorry, Welsh background) has managed in the
aerospace business for 16 years, so I'm well aware of how to handle budget
cuts.

In business, we don't decide to eliminate entire departments, such as
marketing or shipping or public relations. Rather, we challenge the
individual departments to come up with creative means to absorb their
reduction and still get the job done. The same holds true with the 5%
reduction the Police Department will be making.

Davis points out that we can't use 95% of an officer or 95% of a patrol car
or 95% of a gun. What he failed to understand is that the Huntington Beach
Police Department has more than one of each (lucky for us). So rather than
eliminate DARE, we must continue to be proactive in the war against drugs
rather than reactive. Challenge the DARE program and our other valuable
programs and departments, which are run by outstanding employees, to meet a
5% reduction and still meet the goals they are required to achieve. The
city will benefit more from those results.

Wink Williams

Huntington Beach