Source: The StarLedger. May 13 The StarLedger 1 Star Ledger Plaza Newark, NJ 071021200 Reader Forum letters: 200 words max Speaking Up columns: 500 words max In DARE's defense By Fred Hillman I was dismayed by your appallingly shallow April 28 article disparaging the DARE program. It appears you had two reporters plus the Associated Press working on this, and the best they could come up with was a researcher's negative comment about an unreleased study and two teens whose remarks were irrelevant to the article's premise. I have been a member of the board of DARE New Jersey for five years. I have seen the organization grow from a handful of school programs to an effective statewide presence. More important, I have seen firsthand the positive results of DARE training. I have one son who has completed the program and another who cannot wait to take the training because of his older brother's positive experience. It is critical to understand that DARE is not a treatment program. It is an education and awareness program. If nothing else, it provides young people with a positive encounter with law officers. Drug use among teens is rising at a disturbingly high rate. There's no telling how high it would be without DARE. Fred Hillmann, Union