Pubdate: Mon, 06 May 2002
Source: Daily Leader, The (MS)
Copyright: The Daily Leader 2002
Contact: 
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=65297&BRD=1377&PAG=461&dept_id=172930&
Website: http://www.dailyleader.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1955
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

THANKS TO WINNING COMBO IN LINCOLN CO'S DRUG WAR

Citizens can be proud of two recent accomplishments in the Lincoln County 
Sheriff's Department's war to keep drugs off our streets. One program 
focuses on education while the other validates quality of the department's 
drug interdiction effort.

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program has touched many lives 
in its Lincoln County history, and 589 local sixth graders were added last 
week to the list of graduates. Through DARE Officer Sudie Palomarez's work, 
the program attempts to educate and steer the students away from drugs 
before they become more susceptible to peer pressure.

While DARE probably will not be 100 percent successful, Palomarez, the 
sheriff's department and program sponsors are to be commended for their 
hard work to inform children about the dangers of drugs and the value of 
living drug-free lives.

The sheriff's department's other recent honor was Narcotics Officer Dustin 
Bairfield's and his drug dog Ricky's victory in a national canine narcotics 
detection competition.

The canine team placed first among a field that included over 80 canine 
narcotics teams from across the United States. Bairfield and Ricky, along 
with fellow officer Chris Picou and his dog Rico, won the combined team 
regional competition.

While DARE focuses more on the education aspect of the drug war, the 
narcotic officers' work is geared toward prevention. Their efforts form a 
winning combination in which all Lincoln Countians can share in the victory.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager