Pubdate: Tue, 06 Apr 2004
Source: Lowell Sun (MA)
Copyright: 2004 MediaNews Group, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.lowellsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/852
Author: Tom Spoth

BREAKING THE BOND

Cuts Force Area Police To Pull Plug On DARE Youth-Education Effort

Three years ago, then-Gov. Jane Swift cut the DARE drug-education program's 
line item in the state budget from $4.3 million to zero, leaving local 
police departments to decide whether to retain DARE on their own dime.

Because most Massachusetts communities have been struggling with fiscal 
crises since that time, the oft-maligned program became an obvious area to 
trim from many police budgets.

Paul Anderson, a former Burlington DARE officer who has served as 
co-president of the Massachusetts DARE Officers Association for the past 
year, has watched his beloved program begin to peter out. The association 
doesn't officially track the number of police departments that maintain 
DARE, but Anderson offers anecdotal evidence of the decline.

"We used to do a conference with 250 officers," he said. "Last year, we had 
100. This year we're blending with the (Massachusetts Juvenile Police 
Officers Association), and we hope to have 100."

Billerica police Sgt. Jerry Roche said his department is one of many to 
shed its DARE program recently.

"We got rid of it a year ago," Roche said. "Funding, manpower, all kinds of 
issues played into it."

Billerica had two full-time and two part-time DARE officers but retained 
only Patrolman John Mullen, whose title changed from DARE officer to 
school-resource officer, according to Roche.

The other three officers returned to regular duty, and Mullen now spends 
most of his time at the high school and focuses on discipline, not 
education. (DARE, which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, is 
generally targeted for fifth- and sixth-graders.)

"The community suffers a little from not having it in the elementary 
schools," Roche said. "It's key to establishing a relationship (between 
police and students). It was a shame it had to be cut."

Neighboring Tewksbury dropped DARE this year, and Chelmsford Police Chief 
Raymond McCusker said his town will likely follow suit after students are 
let out this spring.

"It's an important program," McCusker said. "Unfortunately, in these tough 
fiscal times, we have to make some hard choices."

Lowell police Capt. Deborah Friedl said the department no longer officially 
runs DARE, but uniformed officers still offer drug-awareness education in 
the schools, supplemented by programs on gang resistance, bullying and 
teen-dating violence.

"We still believe in (DARE), but when the funds (about $15,000 a year for 
Lowell) got cut, so did the name," said Friedl, commanding officer of 
Lowell's school resource officer program.

Eight officers are still assigned to city schools, focusing mainly on 
Lowell high and the middle schools, Friedl said.

Police and school officials almost universally praise the DARE program, but 
since its inception in 1983 in Los Angeles, many studies have questioned 
DARE's efficacy.

In September 2001, the nonprofit National Center on Addiction and Substance 
Abuse reported that "the significant amount of money spent on DARE" 
produced "little, if any, effect in reducing substance use."

The U.S. surgeon general's office also stated in 2001 that "children who 
participate (in DARE) are as likely to use drugs as those who do not 
participate."

Faced with those reports and understaffed departments, local officials have 
found it difficult to justify keeping DARE.

"When (communities) are talking about laying off officers, it's hard to say 
you're keeping the guy in the schools," Anderson said.

Still, the 15-year veteran of DARE staunchly defends the program. Anderson 
said DARE helped build a relationship between students and the Burlington 
police built on respect instead of mistrust, and that kids who participated 
learned valuable lessons about the dangers of drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

Anderson admits he has no statistics to back up his case, but his words are 
echoed by many who have seen DARE in action.

Julie Brisbois, Wilmington's DARE officer, is one of the believers. She's 
in her second year working with fifth-graders and is confident she is 
making a difference in their lives. Brisbois hopes Wilmington, which has so 
far been able to stave off cutting DARE, will continue to recognize the 
program's value.

"You do have to defend it a lot," she admitted. "People question its 
validity, whether it's effective."

In response to criticism, national organization DARE America has created a 
new curriculum that will be in widespread use by September. Brisbois has 
already adopted the revamped program in Wilmington and reported that kids 
have reacted positively to information on not only drugs, but peer pressure 
and decision-making.

"It really works well," Brisbois said. "It's a lot of 'what would you do if 
you were put in this situation?'"

If DARE affects the lives of even one or two children, Brisbois said, her 
work has not been in vain.

"Statistics and everything aside," she said, "It does help to build a bond 
between the kids and myself that lasts."
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart