DEPUTIES RAISING FUNDS TO KEEP DARE PROGRAMS IN THE SCHOOLS

Drug Prevention Effort Paying Off, Officer Says

When 11-year-old Misty Long thinks of her father, she says she's
reminded to stay away from drugs. When she was a baby, Misty said,
her father was driving drunk and died in a car wreck.

The Raymond Elementary fifth-grader says she's thankful for the Hinds
County Sheriff's Department's Drug Abuse Resistance Education program.

DARE, she says, helps her stay on the right track. "This program is
so important to me," Misty said. "I learned at an early age that
drugs are bad for you. I have to think about my future." The Hinds
County Sheriff's Department this spring is raising money to fund its
DARE program.

DARE officer DeMickell McGriggs believes the drug prevention program
makes a difference in the kids' lives. "This is a good program that I
can see lasting," he said. DARE lessons, led by law enforcement
officers across the nation, focus on providing information about
alcohol and drugs.

The program also teaches students decision-making skills and helps
them develop effective gang and violence-resistance techniques.

Hinds County deputies are raising money to purchase DARE program
incentives that include T-shirts, pencils, erasers and buttons.

They're given to children to remind them that they have the power to
resist drugs and violence, said Anthony Kaylor, a DARE officer. The
Hinds sheriff's program is partially funded by a grant and reaches
more than 750 students in six metro-area schools each year, said
McGriggs.

The grant, which is from the state Safety and Planning Department, is
used to pay one deputy's salary. Clotee Lewis of Jackson is pleased
with how DARE helps children learn about the dangers of drugs and
alcohol.

"You're never too young to know about how bad drugs are," she said.
"DARE is an excellent program, and it gives the students something to
think about.

"Through this (DARE), children know they can achieve anything as long
as they stay away from drugs and get their education." DARE officers
recently held their annual fund-raiser at Wynndale Steakhouse Diner
in March.

The money will be used to purchase next school year's supplies, said
Lt. Leon Seals, DARE project director for the Hinds County Sheriff's
Department." We have more fund-raisers planned," he said. "DARE may
run through the school year, but we are working 12 months out of the
year to keep it going."

The department's next DARE fund raising, the first Dare Deputies Day,
will be held on June 8 at Byram Middle School." We're expecting 500
kids," Seals said. "This is a family concept for the community. The
day will be filled with games, activities, face painting and fun."

Seals said DARE officers are planning a softball tournament in July
and considering a golf tournament." Any event that will bring
donations to the DARE program is good," he said. "We want to do
what's necessary to make this program work."