D.A.R.E is a collaborative effort by D.A.R.E.-certified law enforcement
officers, educators, students, parents and the community to offer an educational program
in the classroom to prevent or reduce drug abuse and violence among children and youth.
The emphasis of D.A.R.E. is to help students recognize and resist the many direct and subtle
pressures that influence them to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, inhalants and
other drugs or to engage in violence.
D.A.R.E. in Moorhead had its start in the 6th grade core curriculum in
1990. As of now, D.A.R.E. is taught in all schools, including private schools, in Moorhead.
The Moorhead Police Department has instructed approximately 7,000 5th or 6th grade students
with the D.A.R.E. core curriculum; over 5,000 middle students will have completed the middle
program; and a D.A.R.E. officer will have visited with over 10,000 elementary students. We
will have also instructed over 10,000 high school students of the dangers of drugs and affect
violence has on the whole community.
Each year the D.A.R.E. officers also make hundreds of community presentations
to service groups, college classes, neighborhood groups, and other interested community
members.
The success of the D.A.R.E program in our community has been obvious by
the support we have received from the community. Putting a D.A.R.E. officer in our schools
has been a great benefit to the Moorhead Police Department in our community policing effort.
Our department relies on donations from the community to support our program by assisting in
the purchase of supplies for the program.
Over the years the program has been taught by: Officer David Miller, Lt.
Chris Carey, and Bill Bergquist, now the Clay County Sheriff. Currently, our program is
taught by Youth Education Officer Deric Swenson. School Resource Officers Brian Dahl and
Jeff Nelson also assist in teaching the program.
To learn more about our D.A.R.E. program or schedule
a presentation, please e-mail Officer Deric Swenson at deric.swenson@ci.moorhead.mn.us or call (218) 790-4068. Also, visit the program's
national web sites:
This year 36 million school children around the world--26 million in the U.S.--will benefit
from D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the highly acclaimed program that gives
kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in
drugs, gangs, and violence.
D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so successful that it is now being
implemented in 75 percent of our nation's school districts and in more than 43 countries
around the world. D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches
children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive
drug and violence-free lives.
The Launching of D.A.R.E. America Overwhelming national and international
demand for D.A.R.E. led to the creation of D.A.R.E. America, a national non-profit organization.
D.A.R.E. America serves as a resource to communities, helping to establish and improve local
D.A.R.E. programs. D.A.R.E. America provides officer training, supports the development and
evaluation of the D.A.R.E. curriculum, provides student educational materials, monitors
instruction standards and program results, and creates national awareness for D.A.R.E.
Specially Trained Cops Assigned D.A.R.E. Classroom "Beats"
The D.A.R.E. curriculum is designed to be taught by police officers whose training and
experience give them the background needed to answer the sophisticated questions often
posed by young students about drugs and crime. Prior to entering the D.A.R.E. program,
officers undergo 80 hours of special training in areas such as child development,
classroom management, teaching techniques, and communication skills. 40 hours of
additional training are provided to D.A.R.E. instructors to prepare them to teach
the high school curriculum.
D.A.R.E. Receives High Marks From America's Leaders
Presidential administrations, governors, members of congress, and state legislators have
praised D.A.R.E. Since 1988, Presidential Proclamation declares one day each year National
D.A.R.E. Day. State legislatures have joined with the President and Congress by proclaiming
D.A.R.E. day within their respective states.
D.A.R.E. Training is Unique D.A.R.E. goes beyond traditional drug abuse
and violence prevention programs. It gives children the skills needed to recognize and resist
the subtle and overt pressures that cause them to experiment with drugs or become involved in
gangs or violent activities.
D.A.R.E. is Community Policing D.A.R.E. is universally viewed as an
internationally recognized model of community policing. The United States Department of Justice
has identified how D.A.R.E. benefits local communities: D.A.R.E. "humanizes" the police: that
is, young people can begin to relate to officers as people. D.A.R.E. permits students to see
officers in a helping role, not just an enforcement role. D.A.R.E. opens lines of communication
between law enforcement and youth. D.A.R.E. Officers can serve as conduits to provide
information beyond drug-related topics. D.A.R.E. opens dialogue between the school, police,
and parents to deal with other issues.
The New D.A.R.E. Classroom Lessons: Never satisfied, D.A.R.E. America is
moving forward with an even better and improved D.A.R.E. program. In fact, it is in the tenth
revision of the program. Recognizing that no other school-based program possesses the delivery
system of D.A.R.E., the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has provided a generous
grant to the University of Akron to develop and test a new D.A.R.E. curriculum. This new
state-of-the art substance abuse prevention curriculum will be tested and evaluated over a
five-year period with over 50,000 students in six U.S. cities. The goal is to design and test
the next generation of science-based program.
For more information on the DARE evaluation process.
D.A.R.E is a collaborative effort by D.A.R.E.-certified law enforcement
officers, educators, students, parents and the community to offer an educational program
in the classroom to prevent or reduce drug abuse and violence among children and youth.
The emphasis of D.A.R.E. is to help students recognize and resist the many direct and subtle
pressures that influence them to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, inhalants and
other drugs or to engage in violence.
Each year the D.A.R.E. officers also make hundreds of community presentations
to service groups, college classes, neighborhood groups, and other interested community
members.
The New D.A.R.E. Classroom Lessons: Never satisfied, D.A.R.E. America is
moving forward with an even better and improved D.A.R.E. program. In fact, it is in the tenth
revision of the program. Recognizing that no other school-based program possesses the delivery
system of D.A.R.E., the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has provided a generous
grant to the University of Akron to develop and test a new D.A.R.E. curriculum. This new
state-of-the art substance abuse prevention curriculum will be tested and evaluated over a
five-year period with over 50,000 students in six U.S. cities. The goal is to design and test
the next generation of science-based program.