SALEM DITCHES CAMP DARE TO SAVE MONEY

Police Chief Jeff Dudley Said The Program Took Up A Lot Of Man-Hours.

After two decades and nearly 3,800 participants, Salem's Camp DARE
has become a victim of tight budget times.

City Manager Kevin Boggess announced Tuesday that the free summer
camp, which annually hosted rising seventh-graders, will be cut
indefinitely, a move he said will save the city more than $100,000 a
year.

Last year, 208 of 320 eligible students attended the camp, according
to city spokesman Mike Stevens. The eight-week camp hosts boys and
girls separately during weeklong sessions and, running from June to
August, falls in parts of two fiscal years.

Stevens said each director within the city was asked to look for ways
to reduce their budget by at least 5 percent, but declined to discuss
other impending cuts.

He said that Boggess and Police Chief Jeff Dudley made the decision
jointly, early Tuesday.

"I think this shows just how serious things are right now," Boggess
said of the decision, which he called "extremely unfortunate."

Camp DARE, an extension of Virginia's Drug Abuse Resistance Education
program, was founded in 1991 and held at Camp Bethel in Botetourt
County. Campers experienced confidence-building activities in the
outdoors; learned about safety and crime prevention; and met and
interacted with Salem police officers.

In a news release, Dudley, a former director of the camp, said the
move was disappointing but necessary.

"The camp consumes a lot of man-hours during the summer months,"
Dudley said.

"The $100,000 is equivalent to at least two police officer salaries,
so it is a significant amount," Stevens said.