Pubdate: Tue, 08 Aug 2006
Source: Arizona Daily Star (AZ)
Copyright: 2006 Pulitzer Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/23
Author: Alexis Huicochea
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

Tucson Region

NEW PROGRAM TO REPLACE SHERIFF'S DARE

The Pima County Sheriff's Department is taking a new approach to
keeping kids out of trouble, and the first step is getting rid of the
nationally known DARE program.

Getting rid of the decades-old Drug Abuse Resistance Education program
does not mean that law enforcement will stop talking to kids about the
dangers of drugs, officials said Monday. They will simply take a new
approach through the STAR program, or Student Training and Response.

The program, which was unveiled Monday, is a partnership between the
Sheriff's Department, school districts and community leaders, said
Capt. Oscar Miranda, commander of the support operations division.

It is built around three components: education, enforcement and
mentorship.

Instead of simply telling kids to say no to drugs, gangs and other
criminal activity, the STAR program aims to promote successful
goal-setting and explain how issues like drugs, gangs, violence and
bullying will prevent people from achieving their goals, Miranda said.

The STAR program not only intends to hold kids accountable for their
actions legally but to make sure that something positive comes from an
incident, which is where the mentors come in, he said.

"If we have a kid who gets in trouble for graffiti, we are going to
hold him accountable, but we are also going to look at avenues in
which he can use his art skills in a more productive way, like
painting murals or working with an artist," Miranda said.

The Sheriff's Department decided to do away with DARE because it was
not flexible enough to meet the needs of specific schools and
communities, Miranda said.

Several school-district representatives, including Sunnyside, Tucson,
Flowing Wells, Amphitheater, Vail, Marana and Sahuarita, were present
during the unveiling of the new program. "This is a great move toward
a more local response to local needs," said Flowing Wells
Superintendent Nicholas I. Clement.

The STAR program is offered to fifth-graders through the Sheriff's
Department school resource officer unit. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake