D.A.R.E. PROGRAMS
The Drug Abuse Resistance Education
program:
- This program started in California in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department in
conjunction with the Los Angeles School system.
- It is a 17-week prevention program for children who have not been introduced to drugs.
- The goal is to reduce the incidences of drug abuse by children.
- D.A.R.E. curriculum presented by trained uniformed police officers
focuses on the concept of peer pressure resistance training, self-concept improvement,
personal safety, and value decisions concerning respect for the laws. Children are given
accurate information about alcohol and drugs. They They are taught to understand and
reject the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. They also learn not to give in to peer
pressure, to make their own decisions, and to learn to cope with life's problems in
positive ways.
The United
States Park Police is committed to a comprehensive community drug education program for
our children. This program, Drug Abuse Resistance
Education (DARE) is presented by 27 trained police officers to school
children in the Washington, D. C. , San Francisco and New York areas. D.A.R.E. is a
collaborative effort by certified United States Park Police Law Enforcement Officers,
educators, students, parents, and community to offer an educational program in the
classroom to prevent or reduce drug abuse and violence among children and youth.
The emphasis of the Officer's Guide to D.A.R.E.
to Resist Drugs and Violence, Student Workbook, Grades 5-6, is to help students recognize
and resist the many subtle and direct pressures that influence them to experiment with
alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, inhalants, or other drugs to engage in violence. The D.A.R.E.
program offers preventive strategies to enhance those protective factors - especially
bonding the family, school, and community - which appear to foster the development of
resiliency in young people who may be at risk for substance abuse and other problem
behaviors.
Since 1989 the Force has taken the lead role in
the District of Columbia in bringing the DARE program to both the schools and the
communities. The United States Park Police is recognized nationally as the State
Coordinator for the DARE program in the District of Columbia. The Force is currently
teaching the DARE program to over 2,000 school children per year in the Washington
Metropolitan area, New York City and San Francisco.
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Last updated - 03/03/06 03:22 PM, vej