DARE EXPANDS

Drug Abuse Resistance Education or DARE has been around nationally
since 1983. This past week the Parsons Police Department expanded its
DARE program in hopes of reaching and helping more students. This is a
positive step for students and the police.

Public Safety Officer Sherri McGuire recently graduated from DARE
school and joined Sgt. Walter Largent as the second DARE-trained
officer on the Parsons force. The program consists of 80 hours of
training in areas such as child development, classroom management,
teaching techniques and communication skills. With the unfortunate
increase of drug use around the country and now the proliferation of
over-the-counter drug abuse this couldn't have come at a better time.
And having two officers who can cover for each other will ensure the
program doesn't miss a beat in teaching kids to say no to drugs.

But this program is about more than just teaching kids about
drugs.

The DARE program teaches a set of life skills to our young children to
not only avoid drugs but also to avoid the temptation of gangs and
violence.

Reaching young children and teaching them about the dangers of gang
life before the gangs do is essential. In many cases young children
see gangs as a way to fit in, but DARE can open a child's eyes to see
the subtle pressures that lead to joining gangs. But children aren't
the only ones who benefit from DARE.

By having a thriving DARE program in place, the Parsons Police
Department will be building better relationships with the community.
Programs such as this allow students to see officers in a helping role
instead of strictly an enforcement role. This will open up lines of
communication between the police and our youth. The program
"humanizes" the officers and allows students to see them as people.
DARE also can open up communication between schools, parents and
officers on a variety of issues.

DARE programs around the country have proven effective. By having more
trained officers in Parsons we are showing an increased interest in
the well being of our youth. And in many cases, simply showing our
young children we care about them and how they live their lives can
make all the difference in the world.