Community

“COMMUNITY POLICING”

DRUG ABUSE RESISTANCE EDUCATION (D.A.R.E.)
The Lower Salford Township Police Department, in conjunction with the Souderton Area School District, implemented D.A.R.E. in the Lower Salford Elementary School during the 1989-90 school year. The program expanded to the Oak Ridge Elementary School when it opened in the 1990-91 school year. Salford Hills Elementary School began receiving the curriculum during the 1992-93 year. Beginning in 1994-95, all the elementary schools in the Souderton Area School District began receiving the benefits of the D.A.R.E. education. Our students at the Indian Valley Middle School are receiving the middle school program.

The D.A.R.E. History
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is an innovative program designed to prevent substance abuse through education. It was developed in California under the auspices of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), in association with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

On January 18, 1983, Chief of Police Daryl E. Gates called upon the Los Angeles Unified School District to join with the Los Angeles Police Department in establishing an anti-drug education program in the elementary schools. Dr. Harry Handler, Superintendent of the LAUSD, agreed that a cooperative effort by police and educators was needed to fight this growing problem. As a result of this agreement, a task force of LAPD and LAUSD personnel was created to develop the program that was named “D.A.R.E.”

The new D.A.R.E. curriculum challenges students by having them participate in active learning. The benefit to the students is the strong foundation of decision-making skills that they apply to real life situations about the use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and inhalants. These important decision-making skills are acted on through a spiraling set of group and paired activities. The students are actively engaged as they learn how to cope with the pressures associated with adolescence.

The D.A.R.E. program began with ten trained officers in California. Today, the D.A.R.E. program is being taught in eighty percent of the school districts nationwide and in 54 countries, positively impacting over 36 million children worldwide.

Additional information on D.A.R.E. can be found at www.dare.com

School Resource Officer Program
Lower Salford Township Police implemented an SRO program at the Indian Valley Middle School in 1999. Officer Tom Haney works with the Souderton Area School District in meeting the goals and objectives of the SRO program for our community.

Goals and Objectives
The School Resource Officer Program is a nationally accepted program involving the placement of law enforcement officers with the educational environment. The SRO should be involved in a variety of functions and duties that include but not be limited to the following:

- Provide classroom D.A.R.E. instruction, if certified to do so at the middle   or high school level.

- Serve as a classroom instructor or resource for law and safety   education using approved materials.

- Strengthen safety measures and prevent delinquent behavior on school   campuses through heightened police visibility.

- Act as a resource for teachers, parents, students and staff.

- Attend conferences on an individual basis dealing with problems or   questions, particularly in the area of substance abuse, crime prevention.

- On request, appear before PTA/PTO and other groups associated with   the assigned campus and speak on a variety of topics, particularly drug   and alcohol use and abuse, and crime prevention.

- Document activities on and off campus and provide the School District   and the Police Department with a monthly report.

- Assist all local law enforcement and state agencies conducting formal police interviews, interrogations, and arrest of students on school property. Procedures should be put in place to require these agencies to contact the campus SRO. The SRO should advise the agencies on school policy concerning such actions.

- Maintain familiarity with all community agencies that offer assistance to dependency and delinquency prone youths and their families, such as mental health clinics, drug treatment centers, shelters and “help lines.” Referrals should be made when necessary in accordance with the school district policy.

- In cooperation with the principal, develop plans and strategies to prevent or reduce dangerous situations.

- Coordinate his/her actions with the principal for law enforcement actions of an immediate nature.

- Avoid acting as school disciplinarian. Disciplining students should continue as a school responsibility and only when the principal believes an incident is a criminal violation and requests police involvement should the SRO take action. NOTE: This shall not prevent the SRO from taking action as a responsible adult or as a law enforcement officer.

- Coordinate all of his/her activities with the principal and staff members concerned, and seek permission, advice and guidance before enacting programs within the school.

- Act in a capacity first and foremost as a law enforcement officer. This fact should be conveyed to staff and students and regularly reinforced.

- Provide community-wide crime prevention presentations that should include but not be limited to:

-Drugs and the law – Adults & Juvenile

-Alcohol/Driving and the law – Adults & Juvenile

-Sexual Assault and Family Violence Prevention

-Personal Safety Programs – Adult & Juvenile

-Holiday/Seasonal Crime Prevention Programs

-The SRO should be able to coordinate all youth related programs offered by the Department.

-Activities to be performed by the SRO should include but not be limited to:

- Classroom instructor

- Resource for teachers, parents and students, and

- Participator in conferences, in-service trainings and counseling (when appropriate)