POLICE STRESS HOW WAR ON DRUGS BEGINS IN CLASSROOM

Around the country, in cities big and small, the war on drugs rages on.
Local police departments are doing their part to keep narcotics out of the
southwest suburbs.

Sgt. Gary James of the Bridgeville Police Department says that when it
comes to drug activity, the borough isn't any worse - or better-off than
the municipalities that surround it.

So far this year, officers have dealt with 27 incidents -- some involving
multiple offenders -- where drugs were listed as the primary violation. To
notify the department of drug activity in the community, residents can dial
an anonymous tip line at 412-221-6052 or fill out an online form at
www.bridgevilleboro.com/tips.html. Most of the tips, James says, involve
marijuana, the most popular illegal substance in the borough.

It's a different story in nearby South Fayette Township, where, in the last
three years, police have been busting more people for heroin and OxyContin,
a prescription pain reliever that is similar to morphine in both its
strength and addictive properties.

South Fayette Police Chief Louis Volle says the department has made 12
narcotics arrests so far this year, not including violations for small
amounts of noxious weed. There were only nine arrests in all of 2004.

To help combat drug use, both departments participate in Drug Awareness
Resistance Education (DARE), a national program that teaches elementary,
middle and high school students about the dangers of drugs, alcohol and
tobacco. About 75 percent of all school districts in the United States
benefit from DARE, including Chartiers Valley and South Fayette.

Every January at South Fayette Middle School, Ofc. James Hubbard of the
South Fayette Police Department, presents an overview of the DARE
curriculum to parents. Once a week for the next 10-weeks, Hubbard comes to
the school armed with DARE workbooks and teaches a 40-minute lesson to each
fifth grade science class.

Principal Karen Labutta says the program doesn't focus so much on what
drugs look like, but rather teaches kids how to handle peer pressure
related to substance abuse.

At a "graduation" ceremony in April attended by parents and police
officers, the students read essays about what they learned through the
program and receive T-shirts and other rewards for their efforts.

DARE is partially funded through a grant from the PA Commission on Crime
and Delinquency, which has been substantially cut over the years. The
district now picks up the tab for all materials related to the program.

In addition to the DARE money, South Fayette receives a Safe and Drug-Free
and Communities Grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Approximately $9,245 goes to support the district's social worker services,
a preventive/intervention program for students, families and staff.

Dr. Nanci Sullivan, director of pupil personnel, writes the grant annually
and must hold a mid-semester and end-of-the-year meeting with guidance
counselors, social workers, school psychologist and student, parent and
Family Links representatives. Afterward, Sullivan submits reports to the
state detailing data about weapons, drugs, alcohol, tobacco and violence
within the school.

"South Fayette has extremely low incidences but it is because we are
proactive," Sullivan says. "We do a lot of prevention through our social
worker services."

Sgt. James, who along with Bridgeville Police Officer Matthew Haley teaches
the DARE curriculum to seventh-graders at Chartiers Valley, thinks it is a
useful tool in preventing kids from using drugs.

"It provides students with the knowledge of what substance abuse does to
your body," he says.

"It provides them with alternatives and helps them in their decision-making."