SLIDELL OFFICER HONORED FOR DARE WORK

For the past 11 years Slidell Police Staff Sgt. Brian Nicaud has been
working in Slidell classrooms, teaching fifth-graders how to make decisions
that would have a positive impact on their lives.

Nicaud, who teaches the 11-week Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE)
program on behalf of the Slidell Police Department, said it is a program
that is close to his heart. Nicaud grew up in a New Orleans neighborhood
where drugs on street corners were a common problem. "I decided to be part
of the solution," Nicaud said.

In recognition of his 11 years of dedication to the children of Slidell,
Nicaud recently was honored by the Slidell Police Department. "He is a
special person and his teaching for 11 years is very special in my book,"
Slidell Police Chief Freddy Drennan said.

Nicaud's longevity in the program is especially noteworthy, Drennan said.
"Most DARE officers last about a third of that time in the program before
burning out," Drennan said. "The kids really respond to him, in and out of
school. He really comes across to them and they remember him."

When not working with DARE, Nicaud is a crime prevention officer and the
department's vehicle fleet manager. It is his work with DARE that gives him
the most pride, he said, but it has not been easy.

"Some kids literally hate the police. But after a couple of weeks on the
job, they begin to see me as a human being and you can see the change in
them as the semester goes on," he said.

Though it is his personal connection with the students that gets their
attention, the message is what is of utmost importance to Nicaud.

"I don't care if they remember my name as long as they remember that each
day is a new day and they need to make good, realistic decisions," he said.