[THUMBS UP] DARE CANCELLED

Cincinnati council took the dare this week and ended a police anti-drug
program in the schools. DARE, which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance
Education, cost the city $351,000 a year, in addition to an $85,000 grant.

Councilman James Tarbell who led the move to disband DARE said it will free
up seven officers for patrol. "DARE has not proven to be effective, and we
desperately need more uniformed officers on the street as a preventive
force," he said.

At a time when violent crime is rising and national studies found DARE's
message hasn't kept youths from trying drugs later on, the city's limited
resources are better spent on putting more cops on the streets where
drug-traffickers operate. The new collaborative agreement signed in April
calls for police and residents to partner in reducing crime and disorder.
The campaign to help young people avoid drugs ought to be a top goal for
Community Problem Oriented Policing. CPD will need all the officers it can
muster to disrupt the illegal drug trade.

The DARE program at some schools ran from kindergarten to 12th grade, and
included parochial as well as public schools. Some dismiss it as a cushy
job for cops, and argue civilians can teach drug-resistance just as well.
Nationally, parents, teachers and students knock DARE as too weak to keep
youths drug-free when they get older and are more likely to be tempted to
by drugs.

A 2002 survey of 67,000 Tristate youths, however, reported drug use other
than alcohol is declining in this region, and found kids who participated
in anti-drug programs were less likely to use drugs. The survey did not ask
about DARE specifically.

Law Committee Chairman Pat DeWine hailed Mr. Tarbell as "courageous" for
pushing to switch DARE officers to the streets. We're all for keeping kids
off drugs, but CPD needs to deploy sworn officers where they can do the
most good. That's out on the streets.