NEW DARE OFFICER STEPS UP TO THE PLATE

As an undercover narcotics officer, Caroline Guarino-Wilichoski of the
Topsfield Police Department saw, "the other side of what drugs can
do." "I witnessed first-hand how drugs can destroy lives," she said.

Her experiences in the field, which included buying crack cocaine from
unsuspecting drug dealers throughout the North Shore, left her even
more committed to keeping all children - her own as well as others -
safe and away from drugs.

Last Thursday, at Topsfield's Chamber of Commerce holiday gathering,
Wilichoski was officially recognized as the town's new police officer
assigned to teach the Drug Abuse Resistance Education curriculum to
the town's sixth graders. Otherwise known as DARE, the program can be
applied all across the board, from kindergarten through eighth grade,
but most communities opt to focus on students transitioning from the
final year of elementary school into middle or junior high school,
according to Wilichoski.

"I'll be visiting with other grades," she said. "But most of my time
will be spent with the sixth graders at Proctor School. That
transitional year is a pivotal time in the lives of most young people."

Up until last spring, the drug resistance program was administered in
Topsfield by police officer Rick Lebel, who stepped down after 10
years as the DARE representative.

"Rick Lebel has a great rapport with the community," said Wilichoski.
"I have huge, huge shoes to fill. He is a great inspiration to me."

Finding the Funding

The town's Chamber of Commerce, which recently reorganized and was
looking for a community service project to support, chose the town's
DARE program as one that would give them the community involvement
they were seeking.

"Approximately 108 [Topsfield] children every year are trained in the
DARE philosophy," said Elizabeth Warren, the Chamber's chairperson and
owner of Prudential North Shore Realty. "Those children are our
future. We agreed that there was no better way to give back to the
community than to educate the future. We are thrilled that [Officer
Wilichoski] has stepped forward for this important role."

According to Warren, the Chamber of Commerce will continue to support
the program every year.

"This is not a one-time deal," she said. "It's a pretty unique
arrangement. As far as I know, no other town's chamber has done this."

To prepare for her new assignment, Wilichoski traveled to Fort Indian
Town Gap, Pennsylvania, to the Counter Drug Training Federal Facility,
where she spent two weeks studying how to help kids with crucial
decision-making, problem-solving and social skills that will help keep
them strong and drug-free.

"We'll be doing a lot of role playing," said Wilichoski. "The kids
need to have basic facts. I want them to be able to define the
situation [of being offered drugs] before it happens. They need to
know how to respond and what to say."

According to Wilichoski, the overall goal of the DARE program is to
reduce and eliminate the use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco as well as
to reduce violent behavior in young people.

When asked if the DARE program has made a difference in the lives of
young people exposed to drugs, Topsfield Police Chief Dan O'Shea said
that is a difficult thing to measure.

"I'm not going to say that yes, it does make a difference," he said.
"This is a hard thing to track and prove. I do know that the DARE
program includes a conflict resolution element - which is really
important these days - and gives kids the opportunity to interact with
a police officer in a non-enforcement mode. These elements are really
important in and of themselves.

" I am confident that Caroline will do a great job," he added. "She
has a wonderful way with young people."