STATE'S DARE BUDGET REDUCED BY $1 MILLION

Although a pilot program that could decide the future of DARE continues in
the New Orleans area and five other cities, local officials say they are
just as concerned about a $1 million cut in state DARE financing.

"It put a pretty good hurt on us," said Sgt. Burley McCarter, a DARE
officer for St. Charles Parish.

This past spring, the Legislature voted to start paying for the DARE
program with a 1 cent tobacco tax, according to Judy Whitmire, juvenile
program manager for the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement.
Previously, the state DARE money came from legislature appropriations.

The shortage was created because the tax didn't kick in until Aug. 1, and
with only half a year of sales taxes, officials were forced to revise the
budget for the 2002-03 fiscal year. The budget dropped from this year's
$3.8 million to a projected $2.8 million.

Officials told the 99 local law enforcement agencies that receive grants
for DARE to expect at least a one-year dip in money.

"Everything's up in the air," Whitmire said. "We're kind of waiting to see
how it's going to go."

The DARE coffers are expected to recover after there's a full year of
tobacco sales.

Although the state grants never covered the entire costs of the DARE
program, the cash lessened the amount local agencies had to contribute.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, which operates one of the largest
DARE programs in Louisiana with a staff of 12 officers to visit almost
every public and private elementary school, saw a $67,000 cut in its state
grant. The Sheriff's Office will have to pick up the rest of the tab for
Jefferson's $446,000 DARE budget.

McCarter estimated that the state contribution makes up almost half St.
Charles' $60,000 DARE budget. Sheriff Greg Champagne plans to pick up the
difference, he said, with fingers crossed that all will be well next year.
McCarter said he's heard that a few departments could drop their program
for a year until the money picks up.

"We're just bearing down and taking the crunch this year," McCarter said.