DARE IN THE KANSAS CITY AREA

Almost all schools in the Northland have offered the DARE program for
years. In that time, the officers in the program have faced and answered
the anti-drug program's critics.

Sgt. Dan Green with the Missouri Highway Patrol oversees the program's more
than 100 officers in 13 counties, including Jackson, Cass, Clay, Platte and
Ray.

INDEPENDENCE

The Independence Police Department's DARE program serves 28 elementary
schools and two middle schools in four school districts. Independence DARE
Officer Allison Murphy said critics often are misinformed about the point
of the program.

Critics say students need something more interactive than a lecture, but
DARE is about more than just lecturing, Murphy said. The DARE curriculum
also stresses safety and avoiding strangers.

KANSAS CITY

DARE is still going strong in Kansas City, with 75 schools involved and
about 5,500 graduates of the program per year.

Capt. Rick McLaughlin of the Kansas City Police Department said there are
no plans to discontinue the program.

"We found a tremendous amount of support for the DARE program," said
McLaughlin, who supervised the program in Kansas City for more than five years.

JOHNSON COUNTY

The Olathe and Blue Valley school districts dropped DARE for other
programs. Shawnee Mission continues to use DARE.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY

In Wyandotte County, six police officers from Kansas City, Kan., teach DARE
in all the county's elementary schools, including private schools.

Funding for the program, which began during the 1991-1992 school year,
comes from the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan.
Some money for the program comes from grants and fund raising.

The Kansas City, Kan., School District, the largest district in the county,
provides no money for the program, although the district allows the program
in schools. No surveys have been done to determine whether Kansas City,
Kan., students exposed to DARE steer clear of illicit substances, said
Kelli Mather, coordinator of prevention services for the school district.

GRANDVIEW

The Grandview Police Department has two part-time DARE officers who visit
six elementary and three middle schools.

DARE should be used in kindergarten through middle school, Officer Jim
Innes said, not just in elementary school. He said the program works best
with students who have not yet formed an opinion about drugs.

He said DARE is not going to stop every child from trying drugs, but it can
make a difference in some lives. If it only helps a small percentage of the
350 to 400 children involved in Grandview's DARE program, Innes said, the
program is worth it.

"Sometimes it comes down to whether the officer there happens to link up
with kids in the right way," Innes said. "If the program didn't mean
anything, I don't think I'd get the response from kids."