Pubdate: Sun, 12 May 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

DARE OFFICERS TO PRESENT CASE AGAINST BUDGET CUTS

Thirty-six members of the Louisiana DARE Officers' Association met Friday 
morning at the Comfort Inn in Opelousas to discuss strategies for 
reinstating $3.9 million in program funding that was cut from the state 
budget for next year.

DARE officers from the parishes of St. Landry, Lafayette, St. Tammany, East 
Carroll, Terrebonne, St. Bernard, Livingston, Lafayette, Calcasieu and West 
Baton Rouge participated in the planning session called by Opelousas Police 
Department Captain Martin McLendon, the 2002 association president.

"We are meeting to discuss how to approach the governor and legislature to 
put the DARE program back into the budget," McLendon said. "The program is 
reaching thousands of kids at a minimum cost. It is much less expensive to 
educate kids about the harmful effects of drugs then for them to meet us on 
the other side. If you don't believe me that the program works, then ask 
the children and parents of Louisiana."

Opelousas Police Chief Larry Caillier addressed association members Friday 
and encouraged them to talk to their parish sheriffs and state legislators 
to lobby Governor Mike Foster and his Commissioner of Administration Mark 
C. Drennen. He said that the Louisiana Sheriff's Association is the 
strongest association in the state, and that no governor can be elected 
without the association's support.

According to Caillier, advocates for DARE will testify at 9 a.m. Monday 
before the Louisiana Legislature's Appropriations Committee in an effort to 
put DARE's funding back into the state budget for 2003. Caillier told the 
officers that Drennen is the chief foe of DARE, and that he must be 
educated about the value of the program.

"Our budget now is zero," said Bobby Robinson, a Rapides Parish Sheriff's 
Office deputy assigned to the DARE Training Center in Alexandria. "Our 
program has been left out of the governor's budget for next year. We are 
going to provide the governor with more information so that his 
administration can re-address that issue."

According to McLendon, DARE was founded in 1983 by the police department 
and school system of Los Angeles. It came to St. Landry under Sheriff 
Howard Zerangue in the 1980's, Caillier said.

"The core program is in the fifth grade," McLendon said, "but we are in 
junior high schools and high schools. We have visitations in K through 
fourth grade."

The Opelousas Police Department will host the 11th annual Louisiana DARE 
Officers' Association Conference from July 30 through Aug. 2, McLendon 
said, and budget concerns will be a major topic.

"All four Opelousas hotels will have some of our 250 officers who will 
attend with their families," McLendon said, who added that workshops will 
be held at Opelousas High School.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens