CHANGES AFOOT IN DARE PROGRAM

The Mayor's Office plans to announce Monday that the Constable's Office
will take over the DARE program to allow the Baton Rouge Police Department
to assign officers to build bridges to the city's high school youth,
officials said Friday. Maj. Reginald Brown, the city's constable, said
Friday that three deputies from his office will replace the Police
Department's three DARE officers so the department can initiate a School
Resource Officer program. The change will account for a DARE program shift
in 27 elementary schools, Brown said. The Mayor's Office has scheduled a
news conference Monday that is designed to address this adjustment and the
Police Department's new venture. Because of the news conference, the Police
Department is waiting until Monday to discuss the matter. Advertisements

Mayor Kip Holden, who took office in January, said Friday the changes are
being made because of one of his campaign promises. Holden said the Police
Department will start the School Resource Officer program with the three
former DARE officers, so they can forge a more-positive relationship with
students in the city's high schools. "They will be more hands-on with the
kids on a longer-term engagement," Holden said Friday. "We are trying to
break down adversarial relationships and let the kids know that they are
there to help them. We are trying to set a pattern where young people don't
just see them when they are in trouble." Holden said the uniformed police
officers will be on duty and paid through the regular police budget. Holden
stressed that these officers will not provide security in the schools, but
did add that if something breaks out, they will deal with the problem
accordingly. Holden said the approach will be similar to the buddy system,
except the buddy will be a police officer. "They are there to help them and
protect them," Holden said. "We hope it will help deter (the students) from
a life of crime." Specifically, Holden said, the officers will be there to
counsel students, reduce and prevent school violence, provide information
on law enforcement and work with discipline problems, while establishing
relationships with parents, teachers and students. Holden also said the
officers will deal with conflict resolution, traffic safety, drug and
alcohol education, and work more closely with truancy officers. Holden said
the $92,070 grant that the city used to fund the Police Department's DARE
expenses are going to be shifted to the Constable's Office. Brown said the
Metro Council's Grants Review Committee and its Finance and Executive
Committee already have recommended approval for the transfer of the grant.

Brown said he expects the Metro Council to authorize the measure at its
Aug. 10 meeting. Jim Machen, the deputy superintendent of instructional
support services of the East Baton Rouge school system, said the hiring of
off-duty sheriff's deputies to provide security in the parish's schools
will not be affected by the change. Machen said more than 20 off-duty
sheriff's deputies float among the parishes 88 schools. DARE, which is an
acronym for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, is an educational program in
the classrooms aimed at preventing or reducing drug abuse and violence
among children and youth. The program's emphasis is to help students
recognize and resist pressures to experiment with alcohol, tobacco,
marijuana, inhalants or other drugs or to engage in violence.