D.A.R.E.
PFC Doug Schaefer

D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a collaborative program in which local law enforcement and local schools join together to educate students about the personal and social consequences of substance abuse and violence. The D.A.R.E. program was first developed in 1983 in Los Angeles, California. D.A.R.E.'s primary mission is to provide children with the information and skills they need to live drug-and-violence-free lives. D.A.R.E. also establishes positive relationships between students and law enforcement, teachers, parents, and other community leaders.

This year 36 million school children around the world, 26 million in the United States, will benefit from D.A.R.E. D.A.R.E. is now implemented in nearly 80 percent of our nations school districts and in more than 54 countries around the world. Locally, D.A.R.E. reaches approximately 700 5 th grade students throughout the Alton School District. The following schools participate in the Alton Police Department's D.A.R.E. program:

Eunice Smith Elementary
Evangelical School
Elijah Lovejoy Elementary
Faith Lutheran
Horace Mann Elementary
Motivational Achievement Center
St. Ambrose School
St. Mary School
Sts. Peter and Paul School
West Elementary.

The D.A.R.E. curriculum is taught by police officers whose training and experience gave them the background needed to teach the program. A specially trained officer visits all 5 th grade classrooms for approximately 45 minutes to one hour each week for a total of 10 weeks. The last D.A.R.E. lesson is the Culmination Ceremony where students are recognized for their accomplishments and make a life-long pledge to be drug-free. All graduating students receive a D.A.R.E. t-shirt and other prizes donated from local merchants, such as Hit-N-Run Convenient Stores, Mississippi Lime Company, and McDonalds.