DARE TO HAVE OFFICER IN CITY

Program Will Need Funding For Next School Year

The Port Huron City Council has restored funding for the Drug Abuse
Resistance Education program that serves fifth-graders.

In a 6-1 vote on Monday, the City Council approved paying for DARE
through June. Mark Byrne was the sole dissenting vote.

The Port Huron Police Department conducts the program in cycles at
elementary schools each year. So when the former City Council voted
in October to end the program in December, some students already had
been through the program. Others were scheduled to start in January.

"Six of us felt that, if nothing else, it is a fairness issue," Mayor
Brian Moeller said Tuesday. "We're not making any promises that
there'll be a DARE officer next year."

John Ogden, Port Huron's finance director, said the city earmarked
$35,000 to pay for the DARE officer's position from January through
June, but "because we're almost in February, it will be something less."

The total city budget for fiscal year 2007-08, which ends June 30, is
slightly less than $100 million, making the DARE dollars just
three-tenths of 1% of the entire budget.

"I think we need to be thinking more about cuts than additions (to
the budget)," Byrne said during Monday's meeting.

Council members Jim Relken, Al Wright and Tim McCulloch expressed
similar concerns but ended up voting in favor of the re-instatement.

"It's still on the table for me to possibly be cut for the next
budget year," McCulloch said on Tuesday, but he wanted to give all
the schools a "fair shake."

Moeller said the council considered bringing the program back after
it realized the police budget had an extra $150,000.

"I talked to Officer (Tad) Smith, and he said he was willing to come
back for the five months," Moeller said.

When the drug-education funding was cut, Smith was laid off and DARE
Officer Steve Harrington was moved to cover his road patrol shift.

Now, Smith will fill Harrington's shift with the road patrol for five
months while Harrington goes back to the schools.

Moeller said he made no promises to Smith concerning work beyond the
five months.

Old family friends with Harrington, Moeller has known the officer
"since he was born." Although Moeller is a former police officer, he
said he didn't work on the force with Harrington.

McCulloch said he believes the DARE program is important because it
"puts the police officer into the classroom."

" ... It bridges the gap between police officers and the perceptions
some kids have of police officers," McCulloch said.

Byrne has problems with the program beyond funding.

"Study after study shows (the program is) ineffective," Byrne said.
"If the school wants to offer it, they can. They just shouldn't ask
the city to pay for it."