DEMARS BEGINS WORK AS COUNTY DARE OFFICER

When Jason DeMars was just a kid, in a backyard playing cops and
robbers with his friends, he would have never imagined one day he'd be
involved in law enforcement.

Originally obtaining a college degree to be a teacher, DeMars became
interested in law enforcement while putting himself through school by
working at the jail in Concordia. Now, things have come full circle
for him, when he recently became the newest Dickinson County certified
DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer.

"Growing up, I always thought it would be cool to be a cop, but I had
no idea of how to go about actually getting into law enforcement,"
said DeMars. "After I started working at the jail, I came into contact
with a lot of different aspects of working in law enforcement and one
thing kind of led to another."

DeMars started working for the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office
(DKSO) in 2000. Currently, DeMars is a sergeant with DKSO, and many of
his job duties involve investigating criminal cases.

DeMars pursued the DARE certification after deputy Mark Longbine, the
previous instructor, was deployed with the United States Military to
serve in Iraq.

"The sheriff asked me if I would be interested in becoming a DARE
instructor, and I said I would, and that was where it all started,"
said DeMars.

To gain certification, DeMars attended a two-week course in Oklahoma,
where he was voted top-team leader by his peers. "It was a very
intense course," said DeMars. "Really, that's an understatement."

DeMars has been with the Dickinson County Sheriff's Department for
four years as an investigator.

"So often, when you are involved with investigating cases, you see the
negative side of law enforcement," said DeMars. "You see people at
their worst, and just taking the course to become certified really
helped me to see things in a more positive way."

The DARE program started in 1983 and was originally founded by law
enforcement officers in Los Angeles. The newest curriculum extends
from kindergarten through high school. The program helps children
learn to both recognize and resist direct and subtle pressures that
influence them to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and
other drugs. Beyond providing young minds with positive influences,
the benefits are numerous.

"One of the most positive things children gain from DARE is a
different aspect of who police officers are," said DeMars. "Often,
they have their own, very definite opinion of police or anyone in a
uniform. Many times, they may see law enforcement writing someone a
ticket or arresting a neighbor, and they don't learn that we can be
fun, we can relate to them and that there's a lot they can learn from
us."

DeMars is certified to teach DARE classes in grades kindergarten
through seventh grade. He commented that when Longbine returns, the
DKSO will more than likely pursue DARE classes for additional students
besides those in forth and fifth grades.

"This is one of the pro-active things we get to do in law-enforcement,
and there aren't many of those," said DeMars. "Usually, something has
to happen for us to respond to. This, however, is something very
pro-active that can help in preventing some of the situations we have
to respond to."

DeMars' first DARE class began on Monday, at the Herington Elementary
School. DeMars will also be teaching DARE classes in Hope and Chapman
this semester.