HUNTINGTON BEACH : City Doubles School Anti-Drugs Effort

City government has doubled the size of its Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, an anti-drugs effort aimed at elementary pupils.

The City Council, by unanimous vote earlier this week, agreed to increase the police staffing of DARE from two to four full-time officers. The council said the $123,000 cost of the two police officers would come from money gained from seizure of drug dealers’ assets.

“It is rewarding to see that this money, seized from drug dealers and awarded to law enforcement, is being used in both enforcement and educational efforts to combat our war on drugs and the threat that they pose to our community,” Police Lt. E.J. McErlain said.

McErlain explained that the hiring of the two additional officers, effective in May, “will allow the department to expand the DARE program into all 32 public elementary schools in the city.”

He added that “private elementary schools and junior high schools will also be visited throughout the year as time permits.”

Under the DARE program, a police officer is assigned one school per day.

“DARE is primarily targeted to fifth- and sixth-graders, meeting with them once a week for 17 weeks,” McErlain said.

He added that since Huntington Beach launched its program in January, 1988, more than 20,000 elementary pupils have taken part in the drug-education sessions.

“DARE provides children with the understanding of how to say no to drugs, while feeling good about their choices and themselves,” McErlain said.