BEST OF BOTH WORLDS -- D.A.R.E. OFFICER JAMES HUDSON REACHING STUDENTS

What do the Dallas Cowboys have to do with D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance
Education)? Many adults might find the connection humorous, but for
students in Officer James Hudson's class at Drane Intermediate, the
connection wins them a pen or pencil.

"What was the score of this past weekend's game?," Hudson asked the class.

Many raised their hand to guess, and Hudson helped them out along the way
by giving hints until a student finally got the right answer and scored a
D.A.R.E. pencil. It took less time for students to name who the Cowboys
face next week, another pencil-reward question.

"You need to watch the news so you know what's going on around you," Hudson
told the students. "Whether it's on TV or on the radio, turn off the
cartoons and click onto the news."

Hudson says his goal is to teach the students to think, and he uses puzzles
and quizzes to do this.

"In public, they have to think on their feet all the time," Hudson said.
"Especially when it comes to the prevention of drug and alcohol use."

Though there are four types of pressure -- peer, media, personal and family
- -- Hudson realizes that peer pressure is perhaps the strongest one the
students will face. Thus, the focus of Thursday's lesson was about pressure
from friends and how to react in various situations.

The students adamantly refused when Hudson asked if they would take a beer
offered by a friend, but Hudson pushed the lesson further.

"What about a root beer? Would you drink that?," he asked.

Many students nodded.

"What if it was already open?," Hudson asked.

That's when the students weren't so sure.

"At parties, you don't want to drink something that's already open, and you
should never put your drink down," Hudson said. "Someone might try to pull
a prank on you. A bunch of football players might put some GHB, or what's
known as the date rape drug, in your drink. Later, you might wake up on the
50-yard-line of the football field and discover they've taken your clothes.
What will you do then?"

>From walking home naked to covering oneself with a trash can, the
students had answers, but Hudson advised them the best way was not to get
in that situation at all.

"And when students tease you, just walk away. Resorting to violence is not
a good idea," Hudson said. "You all know right from wrong, it's up to you
to make the right decisions."

In his 12 years as the D.A.R.E. instructor at Drane, Hudson has seen many
students come in and out. He has seen plenty of his former students make
good decisions, but admits he's seen a few who made poor decisions further
down the road.

"Sometimes, when I go out to where they have a shoplifter, I'll see one of
my former students. When they see me, they hang their head and say, 'I bet
you're ashamed of me now,'" Hudson said. "I tell them I'm not ashamed of
them, I'm disappointed in the bad decision they made. I also tell them that
we can get over this as long as they move toward better decisions."

Hudson has also worked with kids who are involved with gangs, and is
constantly trying to reach all of his students.

"If you can touch someone's life, that's enough reward for me," he said,
though he admits some are harder to reach than others.

"Every kid is different. There are those who are good, those who are
troubled and those who just don't care," Hudson said. "It's that last
group, I really try to reach."

Hudson is a graduate of Mexia High School and Navarro College. He also
attended Baylor University, but left just 18 credits short of his
bachelor's degree because of financial issues. His twin brother, Don, is an
officer in Ennis. Overall, Hudson has been in law enforcement for 28 years,
23 of which have been in Corsicana. D.A.R.E. has been his longest and most
enjoyable assignment.

"I first wanted to be a teacher, then I wanted to be a cop. With this, I
get the best of both worlds," Hudson said. "I told the Chief that if he
wanted to get rid of me, he'd have to get rid of the D.A.R.E. program. I'm
a strong believer in this program. I wouldn't still be doing it if I wasn't."

Hudson believes the D.A.R.E. program is a positive way to connect the
students to the police department, as many come into the class with a
negative view of the police. Soon, however, after getting to know Hudson
and learning about his job, he says they get attached to him.

"Some call me uncle and there's even one little girl who calls me grandpa,"
he said. "And I get attached too. There are some I just want to take home."

With the state of the economy, the future of the D.A.R.E. program is not
certain, but Hudson hopes that whatever happens that the children are not
forgotten.

"Sometimes, we need to be reminded that someday these kids will be taking
our place," Hudson said. "Without the proper training, they could go down
the wrong path."