Chouteau County D.A.R.E. Program
Currently D.A.R.E.
is taught in the Big Sandy, Fort Benton, Geraldine and Highwood schools
by Deputies Jeff Perry and Matt Guderjahn. Undersheriff Curt
Owen is the D.A.R.E. Program coordinator in
About D.A.R.E.
This year millions
of school children around the world 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
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 gave 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. 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 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:
-Humanizes the police: that is,
young people can begin to relate to officers as people
-Permits students
to see officers in a helping role, not just an enforcement role
-Opens lines of communication between law enforcement and youth
-Officers can serve as conduits to provide information beyond
drug-related topics
-Opens dialogue between the school, police, and parents to deal with
other issues
