D.A.R.E. REINVENTED

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office changed a longtime tradition with its
decision to remove the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) outreach
from area elementary schools.

The office since 1990 has taught the fundamentals of D.A.R.E. to fifth-
and sixth-grade students. The national drug prevention outreach teaches
children how to handle peer pressure to avoid using alcohol, tobacco and
drugs with a message to build self-esteem and connect with positive role
models.

The sheriff's office taught D.A.R.E. at elementary schools in
unincorporated Douglas County, while police departments in Castle Rock,
Parker and Lone Tree pick up the program in the municipal schools.

Although the county will no longer reach elementary school-age children,
Sheriff Dave Weaver vows he will not leave those students unattended.
Weaver coupled his announcement to withdraw from D.A.R.E. with the debut
of a new program aimed at middle school youth.

Weaver spearheaded development of the Youth Education & Safety in Schools
(Y.E.S.S.) program, teaching life skill topics to middle school kids, who
are more vulnerable to emerging peer pressure, he said.

While the message to say no to drugs is important at the elementary school
level, the challenges of online predators, increased bullying, gangs and
teen suicide increase as students transition through middle school, he
said.

His decision to create Y.E.S.S. came in part from dialogues over the past
few years with students who remember the fundamental messages of D.A.R.E.,
but face different problems by the time they reach high school.

"Hands down they thought the outreach should be bumped up to seventh or
eighth grade," Weaver said. "They're not a kid anymore, the pressures are
coming. I asked how do I teach you about consequences, daily life events,
peer pressures, bullying? It bothers me to see kids getting in trouble
within our county."

The sheriff cites a 2008 crime spree involving two local teens, including
an armed robbery at a Castle Rock convenience store. Brandin Kreuzer and
Taylor Moudy, both 19-year-old county residents, face more than 100 counts
each related to a string of late-spring and summer crimes.

They are among 393 juveniles charged with Group A crimes, which include
sex assault, robbery, burglary and assault. More than 530 teens were
charged with crimes ranging from DUI, trespassing and disorderly conduct,
said Cocha Heyden, public information officer for the Douglas County
Sheriff's Office.

In Castle Rock, the municipal court by mid-March reports a 44 percent
increase in teen crime from this same time last year.

"We're seeing more of it," Weaver said. "We want to try to curb some of
this behavior. We need to be there as a resource to help guide those
kids."

With his decision to withdraw from D.A.R.E., Weaver removed the outreach
from 27 county elementary schools. Those students in the municipal schools
will continue to reap the benefits of D.A.R.E. through the respective
police departments.

Castle Rock and Parker remain committed to D.A.R.E., an outreach some say
is pivotal for kids in elementary school.

Will Harris, community resource officer for the Castle Rock Police
Department, runs the D.A.R.E. program in Castle Rock's elementary schools.
Harris gets positive feedback from students who graduated from the
D.A.R.E. program, years after they met him in the classroom.

He is not a fan of Weaver's decision to back out of the program.

"I feel that when we get in elementary school that's when they're more
susceptible to us," Harris said. "They take us in better, we can act as a
mentor, they still talk to us, they still are fascinated by police."

Harris will continue the D.A.R.E. outreach on behalf of Castle Rock,
working with resources from the Y.E.S.S. foundation. The Y.E.S.S.
foundation replaced the county's D.A.R.E. foundation with a February vote
of approval from the D.A.R.E. board of directors. The board comprises
representatives from the sheriff's office, the school district and the
municipalities.

Weaver expects to officially debut Y.E.S.S. during the 2009-2010 school
year. As the program takes shape, he hopes the effort makes a difference
for the entire county.

"We all have an investment in this community," he said. "We want what's
best for families, friends and loved ones."