D.A.R.E. Program
Drug Abuse Resistance Education
The Black Diamond Police Department has been instructing the D.A.R.E. program since 1988. Sgt. Lynch completed his 10th and final year as our D.A.R. E. instructor in 2019. Officer Austin Hershaw will be taking over as our instructor and will be attending his two-week DARE certification course in January of 2020.
Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons taught from Kindergarten through 12th grade. The D.A.R.E. program is more than just drug prevention education; it teaches students good decision-making skills to help them avoid high-risk behavior to ensure they grow up healthy, safe and secure. Curriculum includes bullying, the influences of media, peer pressure, violence prevention, safe social media, and gangs.
WHY DO WE TEACH D.A.R.E.?
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