STUDENTS' PLEDGE: 'WE WILL STAY DRUG FREE'

More than 350 students at Tommie Barfield Elementary School and Marco
Island Charter Middle School recently made a pledge to remain drug free.

On Oct. 12, fourth- and fifth-grade students at TBE and MICMS
students participated in Red Ribbon Week, a nationwide activity that
gives students a chance to take a positive step toward eliminating
abusive drugs in their lives.

The week devoted to drug-free activities actually is Oct. 23 to 29,
but due to scheduling conflicts, the event was held early.

Marco Island Police Officer Jennifer Lofy organized the inaugural
event for island students in conjunction with the Collier County
Sheriff's Office.

Members of the Marco Island Police Foundation donated ribbons for the
program and volunteered during the day.

After completing a contract with a pledge to not use drugs, students
used permanent markers to sign their name to a squad car as part of
their drug-free agreement.

Students were then given red badges as a reminder to remain
drug-free. "As law enforcement officials, we are committed to the
identification and suppression of drug abuse, particular by in
children," Marco Island Police Chief Roger Reinke said in a letter
sent home to all parents of students that attend TBE.

Reinke specifically told the parents they play a vital role in
helping the program be a success.

"Your support is imperative if our efforts are to succeed," he noted.

In order to better equip parents, the police department has provided
drug testing kits, which are available at the police department and
at Mackle Park.

The Collier County Sheriff's Office does a lot of prevention-type
programs, Lofy said. However, in the past, Marco Island hasn't had
much involvement with those activities.

"I don't think Marco has had the opportunity in the past to do a lot
of this stuff," she added.

Schools in the Naples area tend to get more involved with special
programs with the CCSO, due to their proximity.

A federal organization called the National Family Partnership began
the first Nationwide Red Ribbon Campaign in 1988.

The program began as a tribute to Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, who worked
for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and was killed in 1985.
Neighbors and friends of the slain proponent of drug prevention began
wearing red badges as a tribute.

"I'm only one person, but I can make a difference."

Camarena uttered this phrase when he told his mother he was accepting
a job with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The National Family Partnership was created in 1980 by parents
throughout the United States to combat increased drug use, according
to the organization's Web site, located at www.nfp.org.

The mission of the National Family Partnership is "to lead and
support our nation's families and communities to nurture the full
potential of a healthy, drug-free youth."

For more information, visit their Web site at www.drugfree families.com.

Lofy's new role

In August, Lofy began her new role as a crime prevention officer at
TBE and MICMS. She hopes her time at the school can improve
children's perceptions of police officers.

Lofy's presence at the school is geared toward a positive outlook,
reinforcing the students and letting them know there's a Marco police
officer on hand.

"It's all supposed to be for positiveness," Lofy said. "It's not
supposed to be, 'Well, I'm here to arrest everyone.' The whole
concept is for the kids to see a Marco Island police officer."

For most of the students at TBE, the only time they see an officer is
during the D.A.R.E. program, in which an officer from the CCSO
teaches fourth-graders about the dangers of drug use.

Being in and around the schools should go a long way toward boosting
the department's relationship with children, Lofy said.

"In the past, it's always been if we stopped a kid, it was for
something negative or if we had an encounter with a kid, most of the
time it was negative," Lofy said.

She added that she doesn't see children just at the school.

"Those kids I also see out at Mackle Park, I see riding their bikes
around," she said.