DRUG PROGRAM UNTAINTED BY OFFICER'S DEATH

DARE Program, Which Was Launched By Courtenay's Const. Barry
Schneider, Will Go Ahead This Month As Planned In Penticton

The discovery of a lethal concentration of heroin in the body of a
Courtenay drug squad officer shouldn't harm the validity of an
anti-drug program in Penticton, said RCMP Staff Sgt. Pete McLaren
Friday.

Const. Barry Schneider, who died in Courtenay, Nov. 29, was a friend
and colleague, said McLaren. The two worked together on the Burnaby
drug squad.

Cocaine was also found in Schneider's blood.

Until the results of the autopsy were made knowm Dec.15, it was
believed the 43-year-old father of two had died of a heart attack.

Police officers are not required to undergo drug testing, said McLaren.

Schneider launched the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program in
Courtenay schools and was highly respected for his work in drug abuse
prevention.

DARE, a 17-week drug and violence awareness program which originated
in Los Angeles in 1983, will be presented to some 400 Grade 5 and 6
students in Penticton starting Jan.11. Seven members of the
Penticton detachment have been trained to present the program which
has been in Penticton schools for several years.

"I don't think it should have an impact on our DARE program in the
least," said McLaren. "This is an incident involving an individual
officer. It shouldn't taint the program we have. We're spending a
phenomenal amount of time in schools teaching this program to Grade
6s. There have been many, many positives come out of the program in
Penticton."

Among other things, the program gives young students the tools to
deal with peer pressure to use drugs and alcohol. "Building their
self-esteem is a huge part of it," said McLaren. "There are some
tools for avoiding violence. The feedback I'm getting from parents,
teachers and DARE officers themselves is that there's a huge change
in the students' demeanor from the beginning of the course to the
end."

Some problem students have made a complete turn-around as a result of
the program, said the staff sergeant.

Okanagan Skaha Superintendent Vern Berg sais Schneider's death was
tragic, but he did not think it would have any impact on the success
of the program in Penticton.

"I think it's a tragic thing whatever the circumstances were," he
said Friday. "My hope is something positive will come out of it. I
don't think the action of one person will stand in the way of (the
program) continuing to be successful."

The Penticton detachment has experienced a drug-related problem of its own.

On Nov.15, former Penticton constable Mark Webb pleaded guilty to
possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking and
obstruction of justice. He had been suspended in August 1999 when he
became the subject of an internal police investigation. Webb will be
sentenced this month.

At the time, Sgt. Walt Makepeace of the Penticton RCMP said, "I think
the public realizes this is a very rare occurrence." It was the
first time such an incident had occurred at the Penticton detachment.