DARE PROGRAM GETS NEW COVINGTON OFFICER

His 5th-Grade Beat Covers Four Schools

After seven years as the Covington Police Department's fifth-grade
DARE officer, Sgt. Phillip Beach recently asked to be transferred back
to the patrol division, and officer Darren Powell gladly filled the
open slot.

DARE stands for Drug Awareness Resistance Education, a program
administered by law enforcement officials to teach children the
dangers of drugs and violence.

"I was doing patrol duty in Covington for a year. I taught DARE for
two years with the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office before I came to
Covington just over a year ago," Powell said. "I wanted to get into
DARE with the Covington department, but first I had to work the road
for a year."

Powell is a certified fifth-grade DARE officer and recently completed
DARE junior high training in Alexandria.

His main focus this semester will be teaching fifth grade at four
schools in Covington. Next semester he'll teach the junior high
program at Pitcher Junior High. Covington police Lt. Jack West will
continue to teach the junior high program at Saint Paul's School and
St. Scholastica Academy.

"After I worked the road for a year, I had been dealing with the
negative stuff of law enforcement every day. When I got back into
DARE, it was all positive," Powell said. "You're teaching the kids
positive things, and hopefully you won't have to deal with them some
day when you're out on patrol.

"They learn from you and they look forward to seeing you every day at
school. You're like their role model," he said.

Originally from Franklinton, Powell, 28, was influenced to go into law
enforcement by his high school basketball coach, Duane Blair, who
later was elected Washington Parish sheriff.

Powell is already making a splash with his students.

In October, a contest was held at elementary and middle schools in St.
Tammany to make a display for the parish fair focusing on police
officers, firefighters and people involved in other occupations and
volunteer programs whose purpose is to help other people.

Pine View Middle School in Covington chose Powell for their subject.
"The kids had the best time doing the project," said Gail Core, Pine
View fifth-grade teacher.

"We took photos of officer Powell with the kids, and they wrote essays
about him and what the DARE program means to them. Five essays were
shown at the parish fair."

Pine View won first place in the middle school division as well as
first place overall.

"In the DARE program, officer Powell teaches the kids to say no to
drugs and to avoid violence. But he also plays with them out on the
playground, he sits with them at lunch and talks to them, and when the
kids see him in the hall they like to stop and talk to him," Core said.

"He has a wonderful rapport with them. Not only is he teaching DARE,
he's showing the kids that policemen are nice people. He really cares
about them, wants to help them and wants to listen to their problems."

"It really makes you feel good knowing these kids actually think
you're a hero and think enough about you to write about you in their
project," Powell said. "It makes you realize that you're not wasting
your time in the classroom, that they're really listening to you and
they care about what you're teaching them.

"I tell them that they are our future. If we can get to them before
the drugs do, then our future looks pretty good."