D.A.R.E.ing KIDS TO BE DIFFERENT

EIGHT years ago, Lathrop Police Services with the support and funding
from City Council, implemented the D.A.R.E. program. D.A.R.E. goes
beyond traditional drug abuse and violence prevention programs.

It gives kids the skills needed to recognize problems, identify and
respond with safe and wise choices, then evaluate their response, to
resist the subtle and overt pressures that cause them to experiment
with drugs or become involved in violent activities.

D.A.R.E. America estimates this year 36 million school children around
the world --26 million in the United States --will benefit from Drug
Abuse Resistance Education, The program was founded in 1983 in Los
Angeles and has proven so successful it is now being implemented in 75
percent of our nation's school districts and in more than 43 countries
around the world.

D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that
teaches kids from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist
personal and peer pressure to live productive drug and violence-free
lives.

The specially designed D.A.R.E. curriculum is taught by police
officers who have the training and experience needed to answer the
sophisticated questions often posed by kids about drugs and violence.

Prior to entering the program, officers undergo 80 hours of
professional development in child development, classroom management,
teaching techniques, and communication skills.

Also, 40 hours of training are provided to D.A.R.E. instructors to
prepare them to teach the high school curriculum.

Presidential administrations, governors, members of congress, and
state legislators have praised D.A.R.E.

Since 1988, a Presidential Proclamation declares one day each year as
a National D.A.R.E. Day.

State legislatures have joined in with the president and congress by
proclaiming D.A.R.E. Day within their respective states.

The program is universally viewed as an internationally recognized
model of community policing. The United States Department of Justice
has identified how D.A.R.E. benefits local communities:

- - It humanizes the police and young people can begin to relate to
officers as people.

- -It permits students to see officers in a helping role, not just an
enforcement role

- -It opens lines of communication between law enforcement and
youth

- - Officers can serve as conduits to provide information beyond
drug-related topics

- -It opens dialogue between the school, police, and parents to deal
with other issues

The new program is setting the gold standard for the future, says
Charlie Parsons, President and Chief Executive Officer of D.A.R.E.
America.

Prevention inside the 21st century school house will need to be
diverse, accountable, and mean more things to more people,
particularly with the safety issues that have emerged since Columbine
and terrorist alerts.

Thats one reason why every new D.A.R.E. officer is also being trained
as a certified school resource officer.