D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. The D.A.R.E. program is taught by specially trained Scott County Sheriff's Deputies. The program is targeted at 6th grade elementary students to help them learn to identify and resist the social pressure to use dangerous drugs.

D.A.R.E. was originally developed by the Los Angeles Police Department in cooperation with the Unified School District in 1983. Conceived on the premise that prevention is the only long-term answer to our drug problem, this innovative program is proving to be effective and is now taught in schools in all 50 states and many foreign countries. The program is ten weeks long and consists of many life-building skills.

Through D.A.R.E. students learn that friends will not push them into using drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and inhalants and that growing up means making their own decisions and coping with problems in a positive way. Most importantly, students learn and practice specific strategies for responding to peers who offer them dangerous substances, rehearsing how to say "no" effectively.

Finally, each student writes an essay about D.A.R.E. and culmination day arrives. Each student receives a D.A.R.E. T-shirt and certificate of completion. The D.A.R.E. program in Scott County is funded by the use of donations and fund raising activities by the D.A.R.E. Unit and not by tax dollars.

The D.A.R.E. Program was fully implemented in Scott County by Sheriff Bill Ferrell in 1990. The program is currently taught in all 6 public elementary schools and 6 private schools. In addition, the D.A.R.E. Officers do programs for day care centers and different community groups on request.

For more information on the D.A.R.E. Program, contact: Lieutenant Patricia Garner