OFFICER FRED SPITZER SAYS GOODBYE TO D.A.R.E. PROGRAM

For literally thousands of children in area schools, Fred Spitzer was
the first real contact with a police officer they had. With Spitzer's
easy laugh and big grin, it is safe to say that those thousands of
encounters were good ones.

After 11 years as Woodstock's Drug Abuse Resistance Education
officer, Spitzer finished teaching his last D.A.R.E. classes this
month. He is still a member of the Woodstock police force but will be
exploring other career opportunities.

Spitzer took over the D.A.R.E program 11 years ago from Richard
Johns, who is now a sergeant and also serves as the police department
community information officer.

"No matter where he goes, he is known," said Johns. "It's like he's
the Pied Piper of Woodstock."

The D.A.R.E. program is a 17-week course designed to give
fifth-graders the information and skills they need to say no to
drugs, alcohol and tobacco. But a second goal of the program is to
give students positive contact with a police officer and let them
know that officers are a resource to go to for help. "Officer Spitzer
routinely went beyond what is required to be a D.A.R.E. officer,"
said Johns. "That is what helped him to achieve the D.A.R.E. Officer
of the Year Award that the Illinois D.A.R.E. Officers Association
gave him this year."

"Often, kids are afraid of police officers -- they just see the
enforcement side of the job," said Spitzer. "With the D.A.R.E.
officer, they see us as a human being, as a positive. By the end of
the course, they see a friend."

In addition to interacting with fifth-graders in the D.A.R.E.
program, Spitzer also visited first-through fourth-graders on a
regular basis and taught the sixth-grade V.E.G.A. (Violence Education
Gang Awareness) program.

Being the D.A.R.E. officer for so long has also made Spitzer the most
well-known face on the police force. "Kids always ask about him,"
Johns said. "They ask me, or any other uniformed officer, 'Do you
know Officer Spitzer? Do you know my D.A.R.E. officer?'"

The D.A.R.E. program in Woodstock began 15 years ago. Johns taught
the first four years, and Spitzer is the longest running D.A.R.E.
officer after that, with 11 years. Spitzer has taught more than 5,000
students, both in District 200 and private schools in Woodstock.

Looking Back At D.A.R.E.

Was it hard to go to those last D.A.R.E. graduations? "It was much
harder than I thought it was going to be," Spitzer answered. "It was
a tough decision to make, and when the time came, when it was real,
it was more than I thought."

D.A.R.E. graduation ceremonies, held twice a year after the courses
are completed, are always emotional events anyway, as the students
often become emotionally attached to Spitzer. This year, the students
also knew it was Spitzer's last year as D.A.R.E. officer. There are
always a lot of tears, from students and often from the teachers and
parents who attend the ceremonies.

Spitzer remembers how he became involved with the D.A.R.E. program.
"When Dick Johns was promoted to sergeant, he had been the D.A.R.E.
officer, and there was an opening. I toyed with the idea, and when
the deputy chief approached me, I thought I'd try it for a solid year
and see what happened."

When asked about the effectiveness of the D.A.R.E. program, Spitzer
said, "One thing I tell all the students is that D.A.R.E. is going to
be as effective as they make it themselves. They are provided with
the tools to help them be drug-free."

Spitzer believes the D.A.R.E. program, along with the follow-up
V.E.G.A. program he taught to all sixth-graders (Violence Education
Gang Awareness), has had an impact in Woodstock. "I have students who
are in Woodstock High School come up to me -- they show me their
driver's license, and then they show me their D.A.R.E. card that they
carry right next to it."

What's Ahead

Spitzer said he moved on from D.A.R.E. because he felt it was time
for a change. "When I got into law enforcement, there were a lot of
things I wanted to do, and it's the time in my career to start
working on them," said Spitzer.

Spitzer has a total of 21 years as a police officer, all of them in
Woodstock. "I've lived in Woodstock since I was 12," he noted. He
attended Northwood Middle School and graduated from Woodstock High School.

As to what's next as a police officer, Spitzer said, "Right now, I am
a patrol officer. Then, as different positions open up, I will look
into that -- possibly police detective or traffic accident investigation."

'Hey, Officer Fred!'

How often does Spitzer get stopped walking around Woodstock by former
students? "Almost all the time," Spitzer said with a laugh. "When I
am at a football game at the high school, whenever I am out in the
D.A.R.E. van, when I am grocery shopping - all the time. They come up
and have a conversation with me."

Spitzer always stops, always has a smile, always asks how the student
is doing. And even after having taught more than 5,000 students, he
remembers the names.

"I don't know how he does that," said Tamara Reed, who works in
police administration as assistant to the police chief. "The man has
a phenomenal memory -- he really does know all their names, My own
son, who is 19 now, was one of his students, and when Fred sees him
around town, he always remembers his name."

The New 'Officer Fred'

Oddly enough, Fred Spitzer's replacement as D.A.R.E. officer is
another Fred -- Fred Eiselstein. "No, it wasn't a requirement," Johns
said with a laugh. "It just worked out that way."

Eiselstein has been job shadowing Spitzer on and off this year,
becoming acquainted with the schools, the teachers and the
fourth-graders who will become his D.A.R.E. students in the fall.
Spitzer has seen Eiselstein interact with the students and is
confident he is leaving the program in good hands. "He is very
approachable and interacts well with the students," Spitzer said.

The Future

Spitzer wants his recent students to know that he will attend
eighth-grade promotion ceremonies for the next three years. As part
of the D.A.R.E. program in fifth grade, students write a letter to
their future selves, reminding themselves to remain drug-free. The
D.A.R.E. officer keeps those letters to present to the students at
their eighth-grade promotion ceremonies. Spitzer will keep coming to
the ceremonies until his last D.A.R.E. student has graduated.

Spitzer added that it will always be OK for young people to come up
and talk to him, whether he's on duty or off duty. "I want students
to know that my patrol car window will always be open for them,"
Spitzer said. "I'll always be Officer Fred."