Budget Cuts Force Elimination Of DARE Program

The Greensboro police department is considering canceling its DARE program.
In the face of budgetary constraints, the department said it has to make
cuts somewhere, and the in-school drug prevention program has been
recommended for cancellation. "It's strictly a budgetary issue," said Mike
Oates, a lieutenant in Greensboro Police Department's Special Operations
Division, which oversees DARE in Greensboro. "We have a number of valuable
programs, but the state budget shortfall is influencing the recommendations
for cuts." Oates added that DARE, which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance
Education, is the only program in his division that has been recommended
for cuts.

Greensboro has three full-time and six part-time officers involved with
DARE. Each of the officers will be reassigned to other positions within the
department, Oates said.

The High Point Police Department and Guilford County Sheriff's Department
both have their own DARE programs, but according to officials with both law
enforcement agencies, their programs have not announced cuts.

"I have not heard from anyone that we are going to cut programs," said High
Point Capt. Steve Danford, who oversees the patrol support division, which
includes DARE. "That's not to say we won't be considered, but as far as I
know we are planning to continue."

There are three full-time DARE officers who serve four public elementary
schools each, said High Point DARE officer Kris Britton. Each officer, she
said, handles about 400 children.

"I'm not only hoping it won't be cut, I'm hoping to expand the program,"
said Sgt. Rick Lawrence, crime prevention supervisor and supervisor of the
DARE program for the Guilford County Sheriff's Department.

Lawrence said that he is hoping to add another officer to the program next
year. He currently has three officers involved with the program, and he is
certified to teach the curriculum as well.

He estimates his officers visit 1,021 county students per week.

DARE is a nationally syndicated nonprofit program that is organized through
state agencies. In North Carolina, the State Bureau of Investigation
oversees the DARE program, said SBI Agent and State DARE Coordinator Handy
Gunter.

Gunter said the training, curriculum and course materials are almost
exclusively paid for by the state through federally funded grants. The only
expense to the localities is the officers' time, uniforms and equipment,
which is seen as an in-kind donation, he said.