ALAMEDA COPS HAIL ANTI-DRUG STUDENTS

Children Complete Program Teaching Them

ALAMEDA -- The police department is holding a graduation celebration on
Thursday for more than 500 students who have successfully completed the
Drug Abuse Resistance Education program.

The program is co-sponsored by the Alameda Unified School District and
supported by neighborhood businesses and the community. It's designed to
give kids tools to resist peer pressure that might lead to experimenting
with drugs and alcohol.

Alameda was one of the first cities to implement the D.A.R.E. program in
1986. Since then, D.A.R.E.'s popularity has spread, and now more than 35
million kids in the United States and 49 other countries around the world
have participated in the program.

Since 1986, the city of Alameda has graduated 21,500 students who have
completed the D.A.R.E. program.

The police department has invited numerous government and school officials
and community members to the event, which will be held at the Kaufman
Auditorium at 2200 Central Ave. For more information call 337-8305.