SUFFOLK LAWMAKERS NIX RENEWAL OF ANTI-DRUG PROGRAM

A group of parents and Suffolk Republican lawmakers mounted an
unsuccessful last-ditch effort yesterday to save the school-based drug
prevention program known as DARE.

Democrats and Working Families Party members, who control the county
legislature's public safety committee, blocked a bill to allow Drug
Abuse Resistance Education to continue for one more semester and give
the full legislature time to evaluate whether the program should be
eliminated.

Four legislators, two Democrats and two Working Families Party
members, voted yes to keep the bill in committee while three
Republican legislators voted no.

Speaking before the vote yesterday, Nancy Schwartz, president of Drug
Resistance Education Awareness Moms, pleaded with Police Commissioner
Richard Dormer and lawmakers to continue DARE, which she said helps
students steer clear of drugs.

In Suffolk, the program uses 21 police officers who go into classrooms
and teach students the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

"Schools have already set up their scheduled curriculums for the year
and cannot begin to train teachers and implement new programs at this
stage, thus leaving the children with nothing," said Schwartz, one of
several DARE supporters who spoke.

"Don't you dare do this to my kids. I have two more that need this,"
said Maria Ruotolo of Huntington, before lawmakers voted to keep the
bill in committee.

The decision to do away with DARE was made by Dormer, who plans to cut
the number of uniformed officers assigned to the program to 10,
starting next year. Dormer had said DARE hasn't worked since it was
introduced in Suffolk in 1988. The elimination of the program will
save the police department more than $1 million a year in police
salaries, according to Dormer's office. Each officer in DARE earns
$97,958 a year.

Dormer proposed to replace DARE with a new program called enhanced
HealthSmart, which would add an anti-drug component to an existing
general health and safety program currently being taught in 37 school
districts.

"I am disappointed," said Legis. Cameron Alden (R-Islip), who
introduced the legislation to continue DARE