STUDENT-LED CRIME WATCH ON DUTY AT HIGH SCHOOL

From what Carson Miller could tell, the group of sophomores appeared to be
skipping class.

Within minutes, Miller, the 10th-grade group leader of the new Youth Crime
Watch program at Druid Hills High School, had cleared away the teens.

"My job out here is to make sure that everybody's in their proper place,
and they obviously weren't," said Miller, who is responsible for assigning
posts to sophomores involved in the student-led program.

Some 170 of Druid Hills' 1,159 students are enrolled in the new program,
which seeks to reduce violence and drug use in school.

Leading the programs themselves, school officials say, gives students "a
sense of ownership of the program," said Marie Wood-Shuffett, public safety
director for DeKalb schools. "A lot of times when you have only adults
instituting a program, the students don't feel a part of it, they don't
feel as though they can make suggestions or they can actually make an
effective change for themselves."

Miller, who is also commanding officer with the school's ROTC, wants to see
Druid Hills become a "safer campus, a drug-free campus."

The Haygood Drive school is one of about 10 DeKalb County middle and high
schools that have launched a youth crime watch this year, thanks to a
$725,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The rest of
the county's middle and high schools are expected to develop similar
programs this year.

Students wearing picture IDs monitor campus activity during breaks and
between classes. They anonymously report any criminal activity to the
school's resource officer. In order for a student to become involved, he or
she must maintain at least a 2.0 grade-point average and have a
discipline-free record.

"I think it's great because we have people watching for us, telling us
what's wrong and what's right," said Sebina Saric, a sophomore.

The Druid Hills program is under the direction of school Resource Officer
Debra Reeves, who ran a similar program called Operation Pride at a school
in Broward County, Fla. "We're Operation Pride II at Druid Hills," said
Reeves, "to let students know that you really take pride in yourselves and
take pride in your school and your environment."

Senior Tiffany Grady is the captain.

"We have a really heavy use of drugs --- marijuana --- and a lot of people
drink," said Grady. "Hopefully, once they see that we're doing something
good and positive, they'll stop. They'll take it somewhere else or just
won't do it."

The students say they often encounter resistance from their peers, as did
Miller with the group of sophomores, who, according to him, gave one alibi
after another before quietly going about their business.

But participants say they can't let resistance deter them from their goal.

"All through life you're going to get resistance," said D'Andre LaCroix,
the program's co-captain. "If you're doing something good --- helping your
school and community out --- it's worth it."

The students have plans to expand the program to the community by holding
youth rallies and marches and participating in activities such as helping
the elderly and removing graffiti from area structures.

Druid Hills is working to recruit more freshmen and sophomores. It is also
gearing up for a youth rally set for Oct. 25 and the school's celebration
of Red Ribbon Week, Tuesday through Oct. 31.

"This is already a good school, but there are a few things that could be
changed, and we're going to try to change them," said LaCroix.