DARE ASSISTS STUDENTS TO MAKE RESPONSIBLE DECISIONS ABOUT DRUGS

On Feb. 27, The Detroit News presented a two-part story that concluded that
"DARE doesn't work." I disagree with the article and believe the Drug Abuse
Resistance Education program (DARE) presents a solid base of information
that helps children make responsible decisions about drugs.

DARE is a cooperative program where law enforcement and schools join
together to educate students about the personal and social consequences of
substance abuse. The DARE core curriculum is a 17-week program instructed
by a specially trained police officer to fifth or sixth graders. One lesson
is presented each week throughout a grade school semester. Secondary,
optional programs include a police officer conducting anti-drug discussions
in K-4 classrooms, a 10-week middle school program and a 10-week senior
high program that focuses on drug education, making choices and managing
anger.

In 1987, the Romulus Police Department was one of the first communities in
Michigan to instruct the 17-week DARE program. In 1988, we became one of
the first communities to teach DARE at the senior high school level. As
part of the Romulus police department's community policing efforts, we use
DARE as the foundation for numerous child-based programs. We have
introduced Gang Resistance Education Awareness Training, the Eddie Eagle
Gun Safety Program and " Cops and Jocks," a police-based group mentoring
program. We also have made a high-tech multimedia presentation to every
student in Romulus designed to enhance positive choices. And there is a
police science class at the high school level.

There have been many studies of DARE over the years. Some of these provide
evidence that the program works, while others provide evidence that the
program doesn't work. Romulus has never conducted a study of students to
identify the effectiveness of DARE because so many variables make it
impossible to draw a clear conclusion.

A study by the Research Triangle Institute in Durham, N.C., reaches a
conclusion that seems consistent with a majority of the DARE studies:
"Unless there's some sort of booster session that reinforces the original
curriculum, the effects of most drug use prevention programs decay rather
than increase over time." Romulus capitalizes on this theory by striving to
deliver an anti-drug message and program at every possible grade level with
DARE and then to supplement it with various other programs.

Last week I had lunch with 10 Romulus High School seniors who each returned
to a DARE sixth-grade class as role models. It was rewarding to observe
that the DARE program had a positive influence on the attitudes of these
students.

Programs like DARE must overcome insurmountable odds. I often worry that
society is progressively moving in a direction that makes youth prevention
programs ineffective. We live in a society that embraces drugs.
Advertisements promise thinner bodies, sharper minds, hair growth and a
better sex life.

The glamorization of drugs, alcohol and tobacco is not limited to
television and movies. It occurs in music videos, music lyrics, advertising
and the Internet. The promotion of drugs permeates every facet of a child's
life.

DARE is the most effective prevention program available for teaching
children about the negative effects of drugs. It helps bolster a positive
self-image, which in turn allows students to develop the skills to make
positive choices. DARE should be recognized as only one of the tools used
by police in a quest with schools, courts, local government and social
agencies to enhance the lives of children.