POLICE REVIVE DARE PROGRAM

LUMBERTON - After a three-year hiatus, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education
(DARE) program has been revived by the Lumberton Police Department.

According to police Chief Robert Grice, the Lumberton DARE program was
dropped by Chief Randall Aragon in 1999 because he felt it wasn't a good
use of officers' time and city money.

Nine DARE instructors are teaching a drug prevention-oriented program to
the fifth-graders at Carroll Middle School. The instructors, who are
Lumberton police officers, split up teaching three 45-minute classes that
follow a 17-week lesson plan Monday through Thursday. The program focuses
on such topics as peer pressure, the dangers of drugs and alcohol, how to
say "No," self-esteem and decision making, said Capt. Clayton Oxendine, who
coordinates the program for the police department. Each officer receives
two weeks of training on how to teach the program, which is funded by the
State Bureau of Investigation.

"When we first started the DARE program back in the '80s, we had a
full-time DARE officer," Oxendine said. "Now we have nine part-time
officers and they only have to spend an hour or two each week in the program."

DARE instructor Timmy Wilkins says he enjoys interacting with the students.

"We were glad to get it started back up again," he said. "We hope we can
make a difference in everybody's lives. A lot of kids see police officers
as a bad person. At least this helps leave a positive image in their minds."

Carroll Middle Principal Penny Britt says the DARE officers give the
students the positive role models they need.

"DARE teaches them lessons in everyday life," she said. "We are teaching
our children to be productive citizens, and our DARE officers help us with
that goal. If these children here think of the police as friends, then in
high school they will know they are there to help them."

But, Oxendine said, just because that message is being taught doesn't mean
the students will hear it and do what is taught. He says it needs to be
reinforced.

"They have to hear it from somewhere, so many don't hear the message at
home today," he said.

Oxendine said the Police Department plans to restart the Gangs Resistance
Education and Training (GREAT) program at Lumberton Junior High School in
January. It also was stopped in 1999.

The Lumberton Police Department also has a DARE band composed of six
officers, most of whom also teach in the DARE program. The band plays
beach, country, rock n' roll and gospel music for the DARE graduation at
Carroll Middle School and other city-sponsored functions like National
Night Out.

"We try to intermingle with the kids, and try to get across a positive
influence with them through playing our music and lecturing to them in
between songs," said Wilkins, who plays the rhythm guitar.

Wilkins said the band practices once a week at the old Velcord building off
Carthage Road.

Each time an instructor is scheduled to teach or the band is to play, an
officer can put that time toward a day off at a later date. Or if the
officer was scheduled to work at the same time, then it is considered work
and the officer is paid for time spent playing.

The city of Lumberton and the county school system fund the program, which
goes toward the purchase of supplies for the classes, like DARE T-shirts,
pencils and powerpoint programs, Oxendine said.