Pubdate: Sat, 18 Apr 2009
Source: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)
Copyright: 2009 The Daily Herald Company
Contact:  http://www.dailyherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/107
Author: Robert Sanchez
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

WHEATON ENDS DARE PROGRAM TO PUT MORE COPS ON STREET

Two years after scaling back Wheaton's DARE program, city leaders are
poised to eliminate the drug and alcohol prevention program.

As part of the 2009-10 budget the city council is expected to approve
Monday, all funding for DARE - Drug Abuse Resistance Education - will
be stopped.

If that change is approved, the Wheaton police officer who teaches the
DARE curriculum in local elementary classrooms will be reassigned to
patrol duties.

"The general consensus of the council is that it's desirable to have a
police presence in the schools in some form, whether it's DARE or some
other way," City Manager Don Rose said. "But the economic times are
such that that's something difficult to support financially."

On Friday, Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 officials said
teachers will continue to deliver the drug education message to their
fifth-grade students. The district is voicing no opposition to pulling
the DARE officer out of the schools.

Ultimately, District 200 officials said they understand Wheaton has
other budgetary needs it must address.

After projecting a $4 million shortfall in next year's budget, city
officials increased Wheaton's sales tax and trimmed $3 million in
expenses, including cutting 17 full-time jobs. The spending plan
slated for approval Monday calls for a $34.9 million general fund that
is balenced. That fund will pay for salaries and operating expenses
during the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Councilman Liz Corry said the decision to eliminate DARE was
inevitable. The program was scaled back a couple years ago. At one
time, the city had several officers teaching DARE in both the
elementary and middle schools.

"It's just something we have to let go," Corry said. "This is only the
beginning of the tough decisions we're going to have to make. We are
already projecting deficits similar to what we see this year for next
year."

While there have been some questions raised about the effectiveness of
the DARE program, Deputy Police Chief Tom Meloni stressed that's not
what motivated this proposal to eliminate funding.

"It's got nothing to do with DARE," he said. "It's about putting
police officers where there's the most immediate need."
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake