Ambulance Service Gives Van to DARE

Thanks to a gift from the American Medical Response Ambulance Service, Thousand Oaks law enforcement officers on the front lines in the battle against drugs have a new weapon.

AMR donated one of its ambulances, a diesel-powered 1991 Ford van, to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, or DARE, during a dedication ceremony Monday outside the Civic Arts Plaza.

“This program is probably the most effective tool communities have to combat drugs,” Councilman Mike Markey said. “And without this donation, officers would have a hard time doing their work.”

The van, which has been fully refurbished with the donated help and materials from a dozen area businesses, will join a van already in use by the Sheriff’s Department’s DARE program. The first van was donated four years ago by GTE.

Officers use the vans to take their drug education program to children and parents throughout the area. They credit the program with keeping drug use among area youngsters on the decline.

Officers and city officials said it is donations like Monday’s that keep the DARE program up and effective, given the tenuous financial climate in which the program operates.

“This vehicle gives us a platform to reach more people at the events we attend,” DARE Officer Eric Hatlee said. “It also lets the community know we’re out there doing our best to keep kids away from drugs.”