Your Menomonee Falls Police Department presents:
                    D.A.R.E to resist drugs and violence

Drug Abuse Resistance
Education
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
WHAT IS D.A.R.E?
D.A.R.E stands for "Drug Abuse Resistance Education" and is an educational drug prevention  program taught by law enforcement officers in local schools.  It is a unique and innovative program that gives children the skills necessary to resist drug experimentation.

D.A.R.E is a police officer-led, semester-long series of classroom lessons that teach 5th and 7th grade children how to resist pressure to experiment with drugs and alcohol.  From it's beginning in 1983, as a joint effort of the Los Angeles Police Department and L.A. Unified School District, the D.A.R.E program has proven so successful that it has expanded into more than 1,000 communities in 48 states and overseas into countries such as Austria, New Zealand and American Samoa.


A Recent Menomonee Falls D.A.R.E. graduation photo.
D.A.R.E. - Menomonee Falls:
In January of 1990 the D.A.R.E. program began in Menomonee Falls.  One pilot class was taught to a 5th grade class at Shady Lane School. With the overwhelming success of this initial exposure to D.A.R.E., it has been decided that this is a program that should be made available to all 5th graders in Menomonee Falls.  The Menomonee Falls Police Department has 3 D.A.R.E. trained instructors  who will instruct in 9 schools, to both public and private 5th grade students.  An estimated 5000 students have received D.A.R.E. since it's start, here.  The officers selected as D.A.R.E. instructors requested to be involved in the program.  They all posses a strong commitment to substance abuse prevention and represent over 50 combined years of street experience. These officers have seen the results of drug abuse on family and personal life.  They, along with your help, will make a difference in the lives of the youth in Menomonee Falls.

The Menomonee Falls Police Department, in cooperation with the school district and the Community Prevention Council, expanded the program into the middle schools in 1993.

D.A.R.E. Training:
Typical drug abuse programs emphasize drug identification an the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol.  D.A.R.E. goes far beyond these types of programs.  D.A.R.E. not only warns children not to use these substances, it teaches them HOW to resist the pressures to try them.  The D.A.R.E. program gives children skills to recognize and resist the subtle and overt pressures that cause them to experiment with drugs, alcohol and tobacco.


D.A.R.E. van in the May, 2000 Menomonee Falls Memorial Day Parade.
Rather than just offering slogans or organized rallies, D.A.R.E. teaches children how to deal with the greatest pressure of all - peer pressure.  The D.A.R.E. program includes 100 hours of police officer training, a semester-long curriculum, and accompanying classroom materials targeting 5th grade students, along with pre- and post-program testing.  Separate components have also been developed for kindergarten, middle school, and high school students and their parents.

Veteran Cops Assigned Classroom "Beats":
The curriculum for the D.A.R.E. program was designed to be taught by police officers.  5th grade students are frequently much more sophisticated about substance abuse than are the classroom teachers.  Veteran police officers can answer student questions based on their training and street experience. Prior to entering the D.A.R.E. program, each officer undergoes 100 hours of special training in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching techniques and communication skills.

Is the D.A.R.E. program effective?
Yes, D.A.R.E. contracted with the Evaluation and Training institute to conduct an independent assessment of the program.  The results were better than expected.  Not only did the curriculum change attitudes about drugs, but interpersonal relationships were strengthened, vandalism decreased, and even grades improved.

Many experts in education and medicine believe substance abuse prevention must begin early.  D.A.R.E. targets students when they are most vulnerable to tremendous peer pressure to try drugs or alcohol.  The 17 lessons help children build their self-esteem, manage stress, foresee beharvoral consequences, resist pro-drug media messages, and to identify alternative to drug use.  It doesn't just tell them to say "no", it teaches them how to say "NO."

D.A.R.E. also teaches lessons in life skills. Other teen problems such as teen pregnancy, involvement in cults, and teen suicide may be addressed and attitudes changes by lessons learned about consequences, peer pressure, self esteem, assertiveness, decision making and support system.

Project D.A.R.E. is funded by private gifts and corporate donations from the area; creating a 3-way partnership among law enforcement, education and the community. Your donations are vital to the program's survival and expansion. Please consider a commitment of financial to the D.A.R.E. program in Menomonee Falls  Make and mail your gift to the Menomonee Falls Community Prevention Council, Inc., (CPC, Inc.) P. O. Box 766, Menomonee Falls, WI 53051.  Thank you.
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