DARE OFFICER ENJOY RETURN TO 'HAPPY SIDE OF POLICE WORK'

Santa Barbara Police Officer Mark Hunt plays video games and listens to the
latest hits on the radio to prepare for his job.

"I have to know what kids are into and know the lingo," said Hunt, who is
one of two Drug Abuse Resistance Education officers with the department. The
DARE officers teach a 17-week course to fifth- and sixth-graders from 10
different schools in Santa Barbara.

"The interaction between the officers and the kids is really great," Hunt
told the department's Citizen Police Academy.

"We do the classes, but then we play soccer or football with them and go to
their special functions, like fairs or carnivals," Hunt said.

"It's the happy side of police work. It really brings me back to the reality
that there are things to fight for," he said.

The primary goal of DARE is to keep kids away from drugs, gangs and
violence. Concepts are taught through film, writing, role playing and games.

Officers try to reach these goals by:

*Providing students with accurate information about alcohol and drugs.

*Teaching students how to say "no" to drugs while giving them alternatives
to drug use.

*Teaching students decision-making skills and showing them the consequences
of their behavior.

*Building students' self-esteem and teaching them to resist peer pressure.

"We give them the skills they need to make choices in life," Hunt said.

DARE originated in September 1983 as a cooperative effort between the Los
Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District. Today
more than 33,000 officers are trained in DARE and teach children in all 50
states and 44 other countries. More than 26 million children in 300,000 U.S.
classrooms will participate in DARE this year.

Locally, more than 7,460 students have graduated from the DARE program run
by the Santa Barbara Police Department, with 400 more scheduled for
graduation May 27.

While some studies indicate DARE is effective as a substance-abuse
prevention program, it hasn't gone without its share of criticism. Some who
question the effectiveness of DARE say it should not only be taught in fifth
and sixth grades as an early prevention measure but in junior highs and high
schools as well.

Some cities fund their DARE officers to continue the education into the
higher grades. Right now, Santa Barbara does not because more DARE officers
and money would be needed.

"We're lucky to get the support that we do," Hunt said. "But, of course, it
would be more beneficial to continue with the classes through high school."