ONEIDA CO. TO END D.A.R.E. SCHOOL PROGRAM

The Oneida County Sheriff's Office has decided not to offer the
D.A.R.E. program in coming school years.

Sheriff's Capt. Richard Antanavige, who oversaw the 15-year-old
program, said its cancellation was an "internal decision based on
budget, priorities and manpower."

"It has nothing to do with whether we thought the program was
successful or not," he said. "We just didn't have the resources to
support it anymore."

The sheriff's office began D.A.R.E. in 1992 and offered the drug and
alcohol awareness program to about 1,000 fifth- and sixth-grade
students each year. There was no specific budget for the program, but
Antanavige said the primary cost was the salaries of two deputies who
served the 10 participating school districts.

John Caher, director of public information for the state Department
of Criminal Justice Services, said D.A.R.E. participation has
decreased statewide since 1995. About 150 agencies participate now
compared to more than 280 back then.

Criminal Justice Services announced earlier this year it no longer
will provide $150,000 in annual funding for the program after this
coming school year. That money covered the cost of staff training and
workbooks for students.

"This was a program that was in decline anyhow, and perhaps it's run
its course," he said. "There's not the enthusiasm on a local level
that there once was."

The Utica and Rome police departments withdrew from the program
within the last two years, leaving the sheriff's office as the last
large participating law enforcement agency in the county, Oneida
County Undersheriff Peter Paravati said.

Herkimer County Sheriff Christopher Farber said his office has cut
staffing for the program but still will participate.

"I think it's been a very successful program for Herkimer County over
the years," Farber said.

"Once in a while, our D.A.R.E. officers will see people they had as
students in fifth grade and now they're 22 or 23 and they always
remember the experience they had with their DARE officers."

Ralph Lochridge, a spokesperson for D.A.R.E. America, said the
program has not had a noticeable decline on a national level and is
actually expanding internationally.

New Hartford Central School District Superintendent Daniel Gilligan
said he was disappointed to see the program go, but understood how
difficult budget constraints can be.

"That program was very nice to have, but we tighten our belts here on
things and some days you have to make those tough decisions," he said.

New Hartford, similar to most school districts, already has an
independent health curriculum that spans all grade levels and covers
much of what the D.A.R.E. program did, Gilligan said.

Even so, Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara said D.A.R.E.
was effective in reducing drunken driving and other crimes.

"I just hate to see that program go away because I personally believe
that it does have an effect on our children when they get older," he
said. "They have some knowledge. They have some experience."

The sheriff's office now plans to focus on its School Resource
Officer program, in which officers are placed primarily in high
schools and offer some advantages over D.A.R.E., Antanavige said.
They are paid for by participating districts, interact with a wider
range of students and spend more time in the school.

D.A.R.E. instructors had attended one class a week for 10
weeks.

"It's like teaching someone math in fifth grade and not having any
follow-up instruction," Antanavige said. "The SROs are there
throughout the school year, and they're there year after year."