THOUSANDS TAKE DARE PLEDGE

Drug-resisting Oahu fifth-graders treated to a star-filled day

It wasn't American Idol, but former contestant Jordan Segundo
performed for a crowd of 10,000 yesterday.

So did singer Jasmin Indica of Kapolei Middle School. And Radford
High's state champion cheerleading squad. And Nanaikapono's Step Team
dance ensemble.

And a bunch of Honolulu police officers.

Their audience? Fifth-graders from public and private schools across
O'ahu who filled the University of Hawai'i's Stan Sheriff Center for
the 24th annual DARE Day celebration.

DARE, (or Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a curriculum taught by
Honolulu and military police officers to encourage children to make
positive life choices.

The culmination of the 10-lesson course is DARE Day, when the
students gather to take the DARE pledge to avoid drugs, gangs and violence.

Before yesterday's two-hour event was over, the students were treated
to videos and music and, yes, police officers with drawn weapons,
motorcycles and big dogs.

Specialized Services Division officers rappelled from bleachers.
Motorcycle officers rode into the arena and took down a bogus bad
guy, tossing him on his stomach and 'cuffing him. And a well-padded
crook couldn't escape the long arm of the law, or the strong jaws of
a German shepherd.

Maureen Tana, an 11-year-old from Lunalilo Elementary School said the
day was important to her because "... DARE teaches us to stay away
from drugs and alcohol and the bad people who try to get us to use them."