DARE NOT - RESISTANCE PROGRAM RUNS ITS COURSE

No one who has seen the long-term effects of substance abuse wants to
bear the thought of losing a child to its scourge.

That's at least one reason why some people have questioned Chief John
Manley's decision to discontinue the D.A.R.E. program taught by Rocky
Mount police officers for so many years in public schools.

The 17-week Drug Abuse Resisistance Education program teaches fifth-
and sixth-graders to stay away from drugs, gangs and other pitfalls.
Manley says freeing up officers who have taught the program will
allow him to put more police on the streets, where crime is a big,
local concern. Critics say the savings will amount to one extra
officer. They contend that prevention programs are well worth the
effort, especially if they keep young people away from drugs.

Unfortunately, stopping drug abuse among young people isn't as easy
as setting up a D.A.R.E. program, however well-intentioned. One
report after another, including studies by the U.S. Department of
Justice and the U.S. Department of Education, have found little
change in the rate of drug abuse among kids who graduated from
D.A.R.E. programs versus those who didn't have such a class.

It would be one thing to keep D.A.R.E. in place if there was concrete
evidence for doing so. But that clearly hasn't been the case.
Manley's decision makes Rocky Mount one of a number of departments
statewide that have canceled their programs since the 1990s.

Putting one extra officer on the street might not solve Rocky Mount's
crime problem overnight. But keeping him in a classroom wasn't doing
much to address the issue either.

The Nash County Sheriff's Department will continue to offer D.A.R.E.
classes, and student resource officers in public schools will address
drugs and gangs with students.

But Manley's decision seems the best move at this time in a community
where street crime is a very real concern.