BRING BACK DARE, COPS URGE

Utah police officers who received awards Thursday for outstanding work with
schoolchildren in the DARE program blasted Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky
Anderson for dismantling the controversial drug-abatement curriculum in the
state's largest city.

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program is the most widely used drug
education course in America. But earlier this year, Anderson -- citing
studies that concluded DARE does little to stop student drinking or drug
abuse -- pulled the plug on funding for the program.

Defenders of DARE say it not only teaches children to say "No," but also
forges positive relationships between police and students that last a lifetime.

And officers who were honored "for exemplary work with youth as DARE
officers" Thursday criticized Anderson's decision to deprive nearly 10,000
Salt Lake City students of the drug-prevention curriculum.

"It's detrimental to children," said Clinton police Officer Todd Kelly, who
teaches DARE to 1,500 students. "I don't think it was right at all.
Luckily, I have a mayor and city council who supports the program and fully
funds it."

Clinton Mayor DeMar Mitchell credits the curriculum with low rates of crime
and drug abuse among the city's students. He said children in Clinton enjoy
DARE and would be disappointed if it was scrapped.

"When we heard that [Anderson] was going to get rid of the program we
thought, 'this can't be,' " Mitchell recalled. "The results are sometimes
difficult to measure, but they are there."

The program is a 17-year-old brainchild of former Los Angeles Police Chief
Daryl Gates. DARE -- in which police are dispatched to middle and junior
high schools -- reaches more than 30 million children in 10,000 American
cities and 49 foreign countries. It came to Utah's public schools in 1987.

Today, almost half the state's public and private schools have implemented
the course, which provides a promotional tool for police.

But, Anderson believes DARE is a "fraud" and has said in its place, he
prefers two alternatives: "Students Taught Awareness and Resistance" and
"Athletes Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids."

Orem police Officer Dan Rodriguez speaks fluent Spanish and teachesthe DARE
lessons to Latino children. He said DARE can create the only positive
interaction at-risk children have with police officers.

"A police department cannot just enforce the law; we would be jailing 40
million people," said Rodriguez, who was honored for helping minority
children. "We need to teach prevention and DARE is one of the most
effective ways to do that." untries. It came to Utah's public schools in 1987.

Added Murray police Officer Keith Huber: "I'd like to see [Salt Lake City]
go back to DARE immediately. I love the kids and DARE helps them, that's
why I'm involved."