Cranford Police Department 2011 Annual Report - Cranford.com

D.A.R.E. Program
Drug Abuse Resistance Education
The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance
Education) program is sponsored by the
Cranford Municipal Alliance. More than
5,000 students have graduated from the
DARE program since it was first introduced
into the Cranford school system in 1991.
Detective Sergeant Richard Vitale taught the
DARE program to over three hundred
Cranford 5 th graders at Brookside, Hillside,
Livingston and Orange Avenue schools as
well as Saint Michael’s school, in 2011.
DARE is a collaborative effort by certified
law enforcement officers, educators,
students, parents and the community to
offer an educational program in the
classroom to prevent drug abuse and
violence among juveniles. All fifth graders
receive a structured, 10-week program
presented by a certified DARE officer. The
DARE program offers preventative strategies
to enhance the protective factors such as
family, school and community bonds which
foster the development of resiliency in
young people who may be at risk for
substance abuse and the related dangers.
The program emphasizes the knowledge and
skills necessary to aid students in
recognizing and resisting the direct
and subtle pressures that influence
them to experiment with alcohol,
tobacco, marijuana and any other
drug. Students learn that any drug has
the potential for abuse and
unintentional addiction.
DARE offers a variety of interactive,
group participation, cooperativelearning
activities designed to
encourage students to find creative,
problem solving methods. The
children are not only taught to say “No” but
also how to say “No”. This is accomplished
by:
Providing students with accurate
information about drugs and the
consequences of their decisions.
Teaching students about the forms of
peer pressure.
Teaching students decision-making skills
through the analysis of realistic scenarios
to develop practical avoidance
strategies.
Demonstrating how to utilize their
knowledge and skills to resist drugs and
violence.
Students write a multi-page essay detailing
the knowledge and skills they have learned
in DARE. The fifth grade program culminates
in a DARE graduation ceremony at each
school. Several students are selected to read
their DARE essay to the audience. All
students receive a graduation certificate and
a t-shirt.
Cranford Police Department—2011 Annual Report 23