Pubdate: Thu, 27 Nov 2003 Source: Times-Picayune, The (LA) Copyright: 2003 The Times-Picayune Contact: http://www.nola.com/t-p/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/848 Author: Dennis Calkins DARE PROGRAM GETS NEW COVINGTON OFFICER His 5th-Grade Beat Covers Four Schools After seven years as the Covington Police Department's fifth-grade DARE officer, Sgt. Phillip Beach recently asked to be transferred back to the patrol division, and officer Darren Powell gladly filled the open slot. DARE stands for Drug Awareness Resistance Education, a program administered by law enforcement officials to teach children the dangers of drugs and violence. "I was doing patrol duty in Covington for a year. I taught DARE for two years with the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office before I came to Covington just over a year ago," Powell said. "I wanted to get into DARE with the Covington department, but first I had to work the road for a year." Powell is a certified fifth-grade DARE officer and recently completed DARE junior high training in Alexandria. His main focus this semester will be teaching fifth grade at four schools in Covington. Next semester he'll teach the junior high program at Pitcher Junior High. Covington police Lt. Jack West will continue to teach the junior high program at Saint Paul's School and St. Scholastica Academy. "After I worked the road for a year, I had been dealing with the negative stuff of law enforcement every day. When I got back into DARE, it was all positive," Powell said. "You're teaching the kids positive things, and hopefully you won't have to deal with them some day when you're out on patrol. "They learn from you and they look forward to seeing you every day at school. You're like their role model," he said. Originally from Franklinton, Powell, 28, was influenced to go into law enforcement by his high school basketball coach, Duane Blair, who later was elected Washington Parish sheriff. Powell is already making a splash with his students. In October, a contest was held at elementary and middle schools in St. Tammany to make a display for the parish fair focusing on police officers, firefighters and people involved in other occupations and volunteer programs whose purpose is to help other people. Pine View Middle School in Covington chose Powell for their subject. "The kids had the best time doing the project," said Gail Core, Pine View fifth-grade teacher. "We took photos of officer Powell with the kids, and they wrote essays about him and what the DARE program means to them. Five essays were shown at the parish fair." Pine View won first place in the middle school division as well as first place overall. "In the DARE program, officer Powell teaches the kids to say no to drugs and to avoid violence. But he also plays with them out on the playground, he sits with them at lunch and talks to them, and when the kids see him in the hall they like to stop and talk to him," Core said. "He has a wonderful rapport with them. Not only is he teaching DARE, he's showing the kids that policemen are nice people. He really cares about them, wants to help them and wants to listen to their problems." "It really makes you feel good knowing these kids actually think you're a hero and think enough about you to write about you in their project," Powell said. "It makes you realize that you're not wasting your time in the classroom, that they're really listening to you and they care about what you're teaching them. "I tell them that they are our future. If we can get to them before the drugs do, then our future looks pretty good." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake