Pubdate: Sun, 19 Nov 2006
Source: Grunion Gazette (Long Beach, CA)
Copyright: 2006 Grunion Gazette
Contact:  http://www.gazettes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3434
Author: Carla M. Collado, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

COUNCIL MEMBERS PUSH FOR RETURN OF D.A.R.E. DRUG PROGRAM

A popular anti-drug program for youth that suffered  major budget and
personnel cuts last year now has the  support of several community
leaders who are trying to  revive it.

At Tuesday's City Council meeting, Fifth District  Councilwoman Gerrie
Schipske asked City Manager Jerry  Miller and Police Chief Tony Batts
to look into the  feasibility of increasing police resources to expand
  the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education).

"I want to find out if in fact we can reinstate it and  get a handle
on why it was cut," Schipske said. "The  community seems to want to
have it (back) in some  format. It has been a very positive experience
for a  lot of school-aged children."

DARE is a series of classroom lessons led by police  officers, who
teach students how to live drug- and  violence-free lives. The Long
Beach Police Department  currently pays two retired police officers to
run the  DARE program, while the independently-run DARE board  raises
money to pay for classroom supplies and the  officers' annual DARE
training, according to Officer  Rich Bargas of the DARE detail.

Previously, the police department had five full-time  officers and
about three part-time officers in the DARE  program. Bargas said the
department had to cut back  last year because various officers were
reassigned and  promoted, but never replaced.

Now, Bargas and another officer teach 50- to 60-minute  DARE lessons
to fifth graders at eight public schools  throughout the city. The
DARE America curriculum --  which stands for Define, Assess, Respond,
Evaluate  --they use focuses on decision-making.

Despite the program's cutbacks, Bargas said there is  still a great
desire in the community to keep it going.

"The desire is there, but the manpower is not," he  said. "And I
really don't know the answer to that."

Betty Thompson (DARE board member and director of  health and safety
for the Long Beach PTA Council) said  the DARE board is offering the
city $35,000 to help pay  for overtime costs for former DARE officers
to return  to classrooms and to add 15 more schools.

"I'm hoping they will bring back on two to three  officers and then we
can expand the program E get into  more schools, give our kids a more
positive view of our  officers," Thompson said.

Bargas agreed. He said with the increasing  glorification of gangs on
TV, children are getting  involved in gangs at an earlier age.

The DARE program is important because it brings the  officers into the
classrooms and helps children see the  police in a more positive
light, he added.

"We have some kids we're dealing with that are really  high-risk,"
Bargas said. "The only stability they have  is in school, going to
school. Our hope is that we can  bend them from that thought of
getting involved in gang  violence."

"When you teach kids, you're going to have them making  better
decisions," Thompson added.

As part of Schipske's request, the city manager and  police chief will
report back to the City Council  regarding the expansion of the DARE
program at an  upcoming meeting. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake