DARE OFFICERS GATHER HERE

The 11th annual DARE Training Conference welcomed over 260 Louisiana law
enforcement officers with a reception at the Opelousas Comfort Inn Tuesday
night.

Under the theme of DARE: Our Weapon In Assuring America's Freedom,
delegates began work this morning when the convention officially opened at
Opelousas High School.

It is the first time that Opelousas has hosted the four-day event, which
mixes workshops and classes with a little social activity. Several events,
such as a car show on Thursday at the high school, are open to the public.

"This conference is to better educate the DARE officers to go into the
classroom and deliver the program in an effective way," said Opelousas
Police Captain Martin McClendon, who heads OPD's DARE Program. "That is
what this is all about, the children, training to help the children. But at
the same time, passing a good time."

McClendon said the community has been supportive of the event and delegates
are enjoying what the city has to offer. Many of them came with their
families. They are dining in Opelousas restaurants and shopping in
Opelousas stores.

The convention is a nice summer boost for the Opelousas hotel community.
Shana McKinney of Best Western said her hotel rented five rooms on Tuesday
and had reservations for another 16 rooms Wednesday. Danny Patel, manager
of Comfort Inn, said his entire 66-room hotel is filled with DARE cops.

"We're proud to have them here," Patel said. "The host committee has been
great to work with, definitely a very nice group of people."

DARE was cut from the state budget, but legislators passed a one-cent tax
on tobacco in the last session, which will fund DARE programs around the
state as well as a state police pay raise, said Bobby Robinson of the DARE
Training Center in Alexandria. Robinson organized the workshops that the
delegates will attend through Aug. 2.

"We have workshops that are designed to help officers prepare to enter the
classrooms this Fall," Robinson said. "We will have more facilitation in
our new curriculum, keeping the kids more actively involved in the lesson.
That is a six-hour workshop. We will do one a day for the next two days.
Other workshops will involve presenters from all over the state, and will
include a media workshop."

Robinson said that the program is more than an anti-drug program, that DARE
officers teach kids a full range of crime prevention techniques.

Ken Pearman of DARE America, the national parent organization, was the
regional director for a multi-state region that included Louisiana. He will
be promoted to national training director in September.

"We are very excited about the future of the DARE program," Pearman said
Tuesday night. "The program began in 1980 in Los Angeles and has spread
across the country. We are also in 45 foreign countries. We reach
approximately 50 million kids internationally every year with this program."

Pearman said that he is very pleased with both the organization and
presentation of this year's conference, and with the way the officers have
been accepted in Opelousas.

"It is wonderful here," he said. "We have been very warmly greeted."