POLICE: DARE FUND RAISER DOESN'T HELP LOCAL PROGRAMS

Leavenworth police officials want residents to know an organization
that recently was selling DARE items in the city wasn't raising money
for local programs.

The group apparently was raising funds over the weekend for the
national DARE America organization. But that money won't come back to
the local DARE programs, said Leavenworth Police Chief Lee Doehring.

"We don't want to have any misconception about where funds are going
to," he said.

DARE stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. Leavenworth police
teach the program in local schools. The Lansing Police Department, the
Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office and the military police at Fort
Leavenworth also have DARE officers.

Leavenworth DARE Officer Mark Lingenfelser said the DARE America
organization trains officers and helps start local programs.

Doehring said a group set up a DARE banner outside of the local Kmart
store over the weekend and sold T-shirts and other items with the DARE
name.

"One of the things that concerned us is that we don't solicit like
that for fundraisers," he said.

He said police looked into it to determine if the group was
legitimate. It turned out the group was affiliated American
Promotions, which has a relationship with DARE America.

Lingenfelser said he also had been told the group previously tried
setting up at the Leavenworth Plaza Shopping Center.

Doehring said the Leavenworth DARE program has strong support from
people in the community. He said he doesn't want that eroded by people
being duped into buying merchandise that doesn't support the local
program.

The chief said he's in the process of writing a letter to the
president of DARE America. Doehring said he wants to bring the matter
to the president's attention and make sure the fundraiser is legitimate.

Doehring said he also wanted to protest the situation. He said he
believes it's disingenuous for the group to come into the community
and not be forthright about where the proceeds are going.

Lingenfelser said he'd been contacted by several residents who thought
the money was going to the Leavenworth program.

Doehring said the people selling the items were not overtly
misrepresenting who benefited from the proceeds, but they were not
being honest by omitting the information. Doehring pointed to a
spaghetti dinner, which was sponsored by a local civic organization
and benefited the Leavenworth DARE program, as the type of fundraiser
in which his department participates.

For the local DARE program, T-shirts are generally given only to
students who go through the classes and their teachers, Lingenfelser
said.

"It has to be earned," he said.

He said he gives out DARE pencils and other items as incentives for
students or gifts to people who help with the program.

Doehring said the police also give DARE mugs and other items to other
entities for promotions.

Having found a community with strong support for DARE, the American
Promotions group may be back in Leavenworth, Doehring said.