COUPLE USING TIME, CLASSIC CAR TO PROMOTE LEHI D.A.R.E. PROGRAM

Blaine and Jill Thompson's red 1927 Ford Track Roadster can do zero to 70
mph in under three seconds, but these days the classic car is cruising at
under 10 mph.

The Thompsons have decided to donate their time and their car to teach kids
about the danger of drugs and to honor police officers at the same time.
This summer the Thompsons and their car, which has been designated the Lehi
Drug Abuse Resistance Education car, is making more than 10 appearances at
parades and other various events throughout the summer.

"I don't think public safety officers get the recognition they deserve,"
Blaine Thompson said. "It says thanks for keeping our streets safe and it
makes kids aware of the drug problems. I think drugs cause a lot of the
crime, and this car can make people more aware of the (drug) abuse and
maybe do something to stop it."

The restored classic features a 450 horsepower, 462-cubic-inch engine, has
a C-6 transmission, and can do a quarter-mile in 10.3 seconds. The
Thompsons originally bought the car to display in shows and then decided
the best way to use the car was to drive it and show it in different
activities and parades.

To make it a D.A.R.E. car, Blaine Thompson added some extra touches, such
as the D.A.R.E. emblems and police agencies' names.

The couple already has almost every weekend booked this summer with parades
and events where the car will be displayed, including the Provo Freedom
Festival and the Lehi Round-Up Parade.

This Saturday, the car will be in Pleasant Grove's Strawberry Days Parade
and another parade in Murray later that day.

"Yeah, we are busy," Jill Thompson said. "We never expected this."

Coincidentally, the Thompsons live across the street from the Lehi Police
Department and when the car is not in use, it is parked in front of the
their home.

The Thompsons have made the car a tribute to all police officers, but
specifically to Joseph Adams, the Lehi police officer who was shot and
killed after he found drugs in a car during a routine traffic stop in 2001.

When Blaine Thompson bought the car, he knew he was going to exhibit it in
car shows but never imagined it would become an icon, he said. The idea to
make the car a tribute to D.A.R.E. came after Thompson met Adams' wife,
Cydney, at the Lehi Labor Day Car Show last year. Thompson had previously
met Joe Adams and said dedicating the car to "fallen officers" and making
kids aware of the D.A.R.E. program seemed like a natural fit.

"I had met him, a very nice guy," he said. "He lost his life at a very
young age trying to curb the drug use."

Lehi Police Chief Chad Smith said the car is something positive for
children to relate to the D.A.R.E. program. He also liked that the car is
dedicated to Adams.

"And for Joe, well, he is something we will all carry for the rest of our
lives," Smith said.

He also was impressed with Thompson's willingness to donate his own car.

"His interest in law enforcement is great," Smith said. "It's not very
often that I get a call offering to do something ... that gives back to the
community. "

The Lehi couple have three other cars, including a 1965 black Impala that
Jill is fixing up. They also run their own glass business called Glassco,
but lately the D.A.R.E. car has occupied their time.