ANTI-DRUG PROGRAM RETURNS TO CLASSROOMS

LOCKPORT - The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program will be restored to
the city's fifth-grade classrooms Monday.

Police Chief Neil B. Merritt told the Common Council on Wednesday that the
classes that began the program in November will be able to finish the
17-week course.

The police chief suspended the program at the beginning of January because
of a manpower shortage in the Police Department, which was hit in late 2002
by six retirements and five injuries causing officers to leave active duty.

Capt. Jeffrey Brodsky, who was injured off the job and is restricted to
light duty, will join Officer Douglas E. Haak in teaching the course.
Brodsky is a former DARE officer, and Haak has been handling the course in
recent years.

Merritt said Haak, who is working an afternoon patrol shift, will be paid
overtime to teach DARE before his shift.

Merritt said he is trying to work out a way for the other DARE officer,
Richard Provenzano, to help teach the program in the city's 14 fifth-grade
classrooms that haven't begun it yet this school year. Provenzano is
working on the midnight shift.

Merritt said the overtime for Haak and Provenzano would total about $15,000.

Merritt said the program must start in those classes by Feb. 3 or it won't
be completed this school year.

"I can't take (Provenzano) from midnights to do DARE. He's desperately
needed for manpower," Merritt said.

The Council will vote on funding the overtime at its Feb. 5 meeting.