PETRO AWARDS DARE GRANT TO SHERIFF'S OFFICE

COSHOCTON -- Attorney General Jim Petro awarded a $10,156 grant Friday
to the Coshocton County Sheriff's Office for the 2003-2004 school year.

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education grant is a portion of the nearly
$3.2 million being divided among 222 law enforcement agencies
statewide. Of the 222 agencies, 57 are sheriff's offices and 165 are
police departments.

Out of Ohio's 88 counties, 67 are participating in the
program.

"The DARE program plays a vital role in providing our children with
the knowledge and self-assurance to avoid drug and alcohol usage. The
program would be ineffective were it not for the dedicated DARE
officers at Sheriff Tim Rogers' office that inspire our children to
keep away from the dangers of drugs and alcohol," Petro said in a statement.

Rogers said the grant will allow the program to continue until the end
of this academic year. Rogers said the grant also serves as a
supplement to one of the DARE officer's salaries. The sheriff's office
plans to apply for the grant next year, especially in light of
expected budget cuts.

"We will seek out any funding to meet our needs. So far we haven't
been too successful," Rogers said.

Petro, along with the DARE Advisory Grant Board, awarded grants to
every law enforcement agency that applied. The amount of the grant
money for each agency is calculated in part by the funds requested
along with the size of the agency.

A longtime supporter of the DARE program, Petro testified before the
General Assembly in support of the restoration of funding when Ohio's
DARE funding was in jeopardy.