For the past 20 years, the Warsaw Police Department and children in Warsaw Community Schools have had a special relationship thanks to a special program.
DARE.
Short for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, the DARE program was implemented in Warsaw in 1989 after then-police chief Craig Allebach learned about the program's success in California."In the late '80s and early '90s, the philosophy of community policing came into play," Allebach said. "The focus was in building relationships between the police and the community."
One of the most successful programs to come out of that philosophy was DARE. The program focuses on educating children about the dangers and effects of drugs in hopes that children will avoid them.
DARE was founded in 1983 by a police officer in California who felt that education was a key to keeping kids away from drugs.
According to www.dare.com, "DARE 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. ... DARE's primary mission is to provide children with the information and skills they need to live drug-and-violence-free lives."
Once the program got started in the schools, people started to notice another benefit - children developing strong relationships with police officers. DARE officers in schools became not only educators and authority figures, they also became counselors and confidants for the students they were teaching. Officers in Warsaw are no exception.
"By being in the schools, we get to build strong relationships with our students," said current DARE officer Doug Light. "The students feel comfortable with us, and feel like they can talk to us about issues that are not related to drugs. They feel like they have someone to talk to, and someone to listen to the problems they are having."
"The program helps the kids feel comfortable approaching a police officer," said current DARE officer Joe Hawn. "It helps them know they can go to police officers and trust police officers."
And something that is unique about the program in Warsaw Community Schools is the amount of time officers spend in the schools.
"I give a lot of credit to our administration," Light said. "From the day school starts until the day school ends, we are 100 percent committed to the schools. We spend the whole day there, we eat lunch with the kids. We go on at least one field trip with each of our classes at each of the schools. It really allows us to build relationships with the kids."
DARE was implemented first in Warsaw's sixth grades, which is a key transition level for students. Eventually the program also was put in at the eighth-grade level as well, another time when students are transitioning from one building to another. About 10 years ago the program was taken out of the eighth-grade classes; however, this year the program will be put back into eighth grade with a new curriculum called "Keepin' it Real."
"Our big change this year is going back into the eighth grade," Hawn said. "It reinforces the sixth-grade program. Eighth grade is a time when students are making big changes and making choices that will affect them throughout their lives."
"Middle school is a difficult time for young people," said Warsaw Police Chief Perry Hunter. "It is a crucial age and a transition phase of life. DARE officers in the middle school help become the glue that keeps many young people on the right track that much longer."
Of course, the DARE program focuses on keeping kids away from drugs, but it also teaches students important life skills such as problem solving and decision making.
Each DARE student receives a workbook that they get to keep after the class is finished. They also get to participate in a graduation ceremony once they complete the program.
Now thousands of area students have graduated from the DARE program.
"I have seen the program steadily grow even in the elementary schools in the Warsaw School System," Hunter said. "The quality people we have had in the program have made a difference and cared so much about the children in this community."
The DARE program relies on community support to educate children. For more information about helping to support DARE, call 574-372-9536. Donations may be sent to DARE, 2191 E. Fort Wayne St., Warsaw, IN 46581.
