Cool Trucks Shifted in Anti-Drug Drive

The two colorful 4x4 pickup trucks used since the late 1980s in local Drug Abuse Resistance Education programs were donated this week to other cities wanting to enliven their anti-drug message to children.

The City Council on Tuesday donated the Toyotas to the cities of Mexicali, Mexico, and Yreka, Calif. Both vehicles were seized by the department from drug dealers and transformed to help spread the message of a drug-free lifestyle.

The city bought a 2000 Ford F-150 pickup and a 2000 PT Cruiser to replace the older-model pickups, Lt. Sam Allevato said. Like their predecessors, the new vehicles have been painted and spruced up to catch the attention of children attending DARE presentations, which educate students to make wise choices when confronted with the opportunity to take drugs or drink alcohol.

Allevato said Mexicali and Yreka officials expressed an interest in the older trucks after Irvine officials announced at a DARE conference last summer the vehicles were up for grabs.

The trucks, he added, will fill a special need. Mexicali police officers often have to travel on unpaved roads in the hills to reach students for their anti-drug programs.

“We’re glad to see these vehicles continue to go out and carry the DARE message,” Allevato said.