Pubdate: Sat, 14 Oct 2000 Source: The Fort Saskatchewan Record (CN AB) Website: http://www.fortsaskatchewanrecord.com/ Date: October 10, 2000 Contact: Fax: (780) 998-5515 E-mail: Liz Nayowski DARE PRESENTED WITH KEYS TO NEW VAN The keys to a 2000 Ford Windstar Van were handed over to Fort Saskatchewan RCMP officers on behalf of the Fort Saskatchewan DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program last Wednesday. The van, now decorated with the DARE logos and the RCMP crest, will be used for a variety of DARE related activities. Purchase of the vehicle was made possible by the Fort Saskatchewan Community Watch/Citizens on Patrol Association's procurement of a lottery board grant. Welcome Ford provided major assistance by obtaining the vehicle at a discounted price and Fort Auto Body applied the decals at no cost. The Fort Saskatchewan RCMP would like to thank all those who were involved in the project and can assure you this promotional van will gets lots of visibility and will reflect the commitment Fort Saskatchewan has toward community policing initiatives, notes Const. Lea Turner. The DARE van will be used for the following purposes: *Transportation of DARE officers to and from Fort Saskatchewan and area schools, community meetings and events, DARE officer training courses, the DARE merchandise shop in Edmonton, and for the transportation of any RCMP member who is attending a seminar, course, meeting of conference. *Transportation of materials and equipment to and from the annual Crime Prevention Week events, the Legacy Park Festival display, the DARE outdoor volleyball tournament, the Canada Day Parade and Santa Claus Parade as well as other such community events. *Transportation option for the Community Policing Coordinator who frequently finds himself using his private vehicle due to a detachment shortage of police cars. *A back drop for DARE promotional photos, DARE grad photos and newspaper photos. *Promotion of DARE and other community policing programs at various events. *Regular year-long visibility in the community to remind students and community members of the concepts of the DARE program. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens