R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Christine Willsey is the Aretha Franklin of DARE. She commands respect
in the Granbury ISD drug awareness and education program. "I'm big on
respect, and I tell young people that," Willsey, a six-year Granbury
police officer, said. "If they respect themselves, they won't do
drugs. People who do drugs are not respecting their minds or their
bodies.

"Respect starts with respecting yourself. Without that, you won't
respect others. If someone offers you drugs, is that person respecting
you? No. They're offering you something that will hurt you. They're
treating you like you're nothing."

DARE is an acronym for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. It was
initiated by the Los Angeles Police Department in 1983 to combat gang
violence. DARE is now nationwide.

Its school liaisons are certified peace officers. They're trained to
communicate lessons through DARE handbooks. Exactly how they
communicate is up to them.

Willsey is something of a female Captain Kangaroo a warm and fuzzy
instructor/entertainer with a badge and gun.

Her DARE companion, a stuffed lion named Darren, is warm and fuzzy,
too.

"Darren is the DARE mascot," she said. "We utilize Darren a lot with
the third-graders because they're really into stuffed animals. When I
present Darren to the kids, I start off by asking how many have seen
the movie 'The Wizard of Oz.' Almost all of them have.

"I'll ask them, 'What did the Tin Man want, and what did the Straw Man
want?' Then I'll ask, 'What did the Cowardly Lion want most?' A lot of
kids will say 'bravery.' Every once in a while, one will say
'courage.' That's the answer.

"That's when I get into the mascot and what he represents, courage,
and how it takes courage to stand up to someone who's offering you
drugs. It all kind of fits together."

During the week of Sept. 13, Willsey will be in the schools delivering
handbooks and coordinating schedules. Lessons begin the week of Sept.
20. Last year, she instructed third-, fifth- and seventh-graders. This
year, it's third and fifth only.

"We teach lessons every week," Willsey said. "One of them is 'Eight
Ways to Say No.' I'm very honest with the kids. I tell them I don't
know everything. The teachers appreciate me being honest. The kids do,
too.

"Kids aren't stupid. If you lie or make something up, they'll catch
on. Then they won't believe anything you say."

Kids being kids, they're exposed to the world through family, friends,
acquaintances and media.

"Sometimes with fifth-graders, there are a handful who know more than
they should," Willsey said. "With seventh-graders, a number of them
knew a lot. I had to tell them, 'Yes, I'm an officer. Yes, I'm a real
officer. Yes, I like donuts. I liked donuts even before I was an
officer.' "I had to be blunt to get their attention. From then on,
they were awesome."

Willsey is a positive role model, as a civilian and as a police
officer. She commands and gives respect.

"I'm a firm believer in respect. There are people I meet on patrol
that I won't necessarily like. But I always respect them as human beings."

She communicates somewhat differently with adults she meets on patrol
than kids she meets in DARE.

"I had to learn to adjust from being a street officer to DARE officer.
My first year in DARE, I pulled over a man for speeding when I was on
patrol during Christmas break. He started to get a little attitude
with me. For a split second, I wanted to say, 'Young man, don't you
use that tone with me,' which I might have with the kids.

"I have to prepare myself for the change, going from DARE to the
streets. On the streets, I have to be more assertive."

Willsey is in her third year as DARE officer in Granbury.

But she's been preparing for the role all her adult
life.

"I wanted to be a juvenile probation officer," she said, "so I studied
criminal justice at Weatherford College. I was told I could get
started in juvenile probation with a two-year degree. I found out I
needed a four-year.

"I needed to get back to work, and someone at the college suggested
the DARE program and school resource officer position. I love kids. I
knew I wanted to work with young people in a positive way.

"Then I found out about the DARE program in Granbury. Rodney Casey was
teaching it and doing an excellent job. I put in an application with
the department and said what my ambitions were, to work in the DARE
program. They were very up-front. They couldn't promise anything.

"I worked for the department for three years and got burned out and
resigned. I will always be grateful to (then) Chief (Ron) Berryman. He
called me and said, 'We want you back on the force.' They didn't have
a position open at the time, so I worked for animal control, which is
through the department.

"A short time later, a position in the department came open. I got
back into the police end of it. Then Rodney was promoted to detective,
and I became the DARE officer. The rest is history."

She could have been a schoolteacher. She would have been a good
one.

"Teachers are awesome," Willsey said. "I tell the kids, 'Without
teachers, you wouldn't be able to comprehend what I'm saying. You
wouldn't be able to read your handbooks.' It's hard for me to see kids
disrespecting teachers."

When youths complete the DARE course, they're awarded T-shirts with
the DARE insignia. Those wishing to donate money to fund the shirts
can do so through the schools or the Granbury Police Department.

"The donations are very important to us, no matter how big or small,"
Willsey said. "I appreciate them, and the kids do, too."