The New Castle Police Department D.A.R.E. program is a substance use prevention education program that targets the elementary fifth and sixth graders to prepare the students with skills for resisting peer pressure to experiment with tobacco, drugs, and alcohol and assist then in entry into junior and high school, where they are most likely to encounter pressures to use drugs.

The New Castle students participate in the 17 week curriculum program, that focus on four major areas:

• Providing accurate information about tobacco, alcohol, and drugs
  
  
• Teaching students decision-making skills, building their self-esteem
  
  
• Showing students how to resist peer pressure
  
  
• Giving students ideas for alternatives to drug use
  

DARE USES UNIFORMED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER TO CONDUCT THE CLASS

Uniformed officers as DARE instructors not only serve as role models for the children at an impressionable age, but also have a high credibility on the subject of drug use. The Dare Officer develops a rapport with the students that promotes positive attitudes towards the police and greater respect for the law.

DARE REPRESENTS A LONG -TERM SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM THAT HAS DEVELOPED OVER MANY YEARS

Many people believe that over time, a change in public attitudes will reduce the demand for drugs. DARE seeks to promote that change. Equally important, DARE instructors help children develop mature decision-making skills that they can apply to a variety of situations as they grow up.