Pittsfield NH Police - D.A.R.E.
Program
The D.A.R.E. program has
been taught to the six graders at Pittsfield Elementary
School for several years now. The program is taught
with the cooperation of the police, the school, and the
parents. D.A.R.E. came about in 1983 out in Los Angeles
California. The program came to New Hampshire in 1987.
D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. If
an officer is interested in teaching D.A.R.E. then they
put in an application to their Chief. If they are
selected to teach the program they attend an intense 2
week program to become a certified D.A.R.E. Officer.
The D.A.R.E. program started as a 17 week course,
teaching kids about the abuse of alcohol, drugs, and
violence. At the end of the course the students are
recognized for their accomplishments at the graduation
ceremony.
The D.A.R.E. program has
gone through some changes and the course is now 10 weeks
long. The program still teaches students about the
dangers of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and violence.
They learn about ways to say no to the pressures to use
alcohol and drugs. Students are giving a planner at the
beginning of the course. In this planner they work on a
variety of different things. They also work with a
partner and in groups. There are various activities
throughout the program that get the students involved
and practicing how to say no to drugs and alcohol.
Students learn facts
about marijuana and alcohol. They learn what happens to
your body and how abusing drugs and alcohol can affect
your body. Towards the end of the program students
write a report talking about the things they have
learned and how this is going to help them stay drug
free and avoid violence. They also take a pledge to
remain alcohol and drug free. Not only is it important
for students to learn this, it is also important for
them to get to know their police officers and see that
they really do care about the community.
There are currently 2
certified D.A.R.E. Officers that instruct D.A.R.E. for
the 6th graders at Pittsfield Elementary
School. Detective Sergeant Rick Walter and Officer John
Webber. Officer Webber joined the Pittsfield Police
Department in 2005 and started his first D.A.R.E.
classes at Pittsfield Elementary in 2006. Sergeant
Walter has been a D.A.R.E. Officer since 2000 and
received the NH D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year in 2006.
Both officers are
involved actively with safety in the community. They
give safety lectures at the Elementary School on bicycle
safety, stranger danger, bullying, and other safety
related issues.
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