D.A.R.E. Program

What is D.A.R.E?

Millions of school children around the world benefit from D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the highly acclaimed program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence.

• D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so successful that it is now being implemented in 75 percent of our nation’s school districts and in more than 43 countries around the world.
• D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.
• The D.A.R.E. mission is to teach students good decision-making skills to help them lead safe and healthy lives and empower them to respect others and choose to lead lives free from violence, substance abuse, and other dangerous behaviors.

D.A.R.E. in Grand Rapids

The Grand Rapids Police Department and the Itasca County Sheriff’s Office partner every school year with the Grand Rapid School District to get the Officer in the classrooms to instruct and teach the DARE program to every 5th grader that attends the Robert J. Elkington Middle School in Grand Rapids. Each of the DARE Officers instructs two classes. Currently, the DARE Officers are Grand Rapids Police Department members Sergeant Heath Smith, Investigator Jeremy Nelson, Officer Justin Edmundson, School Liaison Officer Micki Norris, and Investigator William Saw.

DARE also serves another purpose in supporting a strong and healthy community. The DARE program strengthens community ties between the schools, parents, students, and local police officers. The DARE program gives the opportunity for Officer to give back to the communities which they serve by being in the school to help guide, teach, and interact with students, which is imperative in building rapport with local youths. This ideal can be an invaluable tool when it comes to crime prevention and solving crime within a community.  

If you have any questions or inquires about your DARE program, please contact one of our D.A.R.E officers at 218-326-3464.