Pubdate: Wed, 31 Jul 2002
Source: Daily World, The (LA)
Copyright: South Louisiana Publishing 2002
Contact:  http://www.dailyworld.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1740
Author: Alain A. de la Villesbret
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

DARE OFFICERS GATHER HERE

The 11th annual DARE Training Conference welcomed over 260 Louisiana law 
enforcement officers with a reception at the Opelousas Comfort Inn Tuesday 
night.

Under the theme of DARE: Our Weapon In Assuring America's Freedom, 
delegates began work this morning when the convention officially opened at 
Opelousas High School.

It is the first time that Opelousas has hosted the four-day event, which 
mixes workshops and classes with a little social activity. Several events, 
such as a car show on Thursday at the high school, are open to the public.

"This conference is to better educate the DARE officers to go into the 
classroom and deliver the program in an effective way," said Opelousas 
Police Captain Martin McClendon, who heads OPD's DARE Program. "That is 
what this is all about, the children, training to help the children. But at 
the same time, passing a good time."

McClendon said the community has been supportive of the event and delegates 
are enjoying what the city has to offer. Many of them came with their 
families. They are dining in Opelousas restaurants and shopping in 
Opelousas stores.

The convention is a nice summer boost for the Opelousas hotel community. 
Shana McKinney of Best Western said her hotel rented five rooms on Tuesday 
and had reservations for another 16 rooms Wednesday. Danny Patel, manager 
of Comfort Inn, said his entire 66-room hotel is filled with DARE cops.

"We're proud to have them here," Patel said. "The host committee has been 
great to work with, definitely a very nice group of people."

DARE was cut from the state budget, but legislators passed a one-cent tax 
on tobacco in the last session, which will fund DARE programs around the 
state as well as a state police pay raise, said Bobby Robinson of the DARE 
Training Center in Alexandria. Robinson organized the workshops that the 
delegates will attend through Aug. 2.

"We have workshops that are designed to help officers prepare to enter the 
classrooms this Fall," Robinson said. "We will have more facilitation in 
our new curriculum, keeping the kids more actively involved in the lesson. 
That is a six-hour workshop. We will do one a day for the next two days. 
Other workshops will involve presenters from all over the state, and will 
include a media workshop."

Robinson said that the program is more than an anti-drug program, that DARE 
officers teach kids a full range of crime prevention techniques.

Ken Pearman of DARE America, the national parent organization, was the 
regional director for a multi-state region that included Louisiana. He will 
be promoted to national training director in September.

"We are very excited about the future of the DARE program," Pearman said 
Tuesday night. "The program began in 1980 in Los Angeles and has spread 
across the country. We are also in 45 foreign countries. We reach 
approximately 50 million kids internationally every year with this program."

Pearman said that he is very pleased with both the organization and 
presentation of this year's conference, and with the way the officers have 
been accepted in Opelousas.

"It is wonderful here," he said. "We have been very warmly greeted."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom