D.A.R.E. began in Caddo Parish in September 1990 with one full-time and two part-time instructors. The Sheriff's Office was the first law enforcement agency in the parish to implement the program in Kindergarten through 5th Grade. Since then, the Sheriff's Office D.A.R.E. program has grown to three full-time instructors teaching the elementary, junior high and Parent programs. All the public schools and many private schools in Caddo Parish receive the D.A.R.E. curriculum from either the Sheriff's Office or the Shreveport Police Department, which began teaching the program in the spring of 1991.

The D.A.R.E. program in Louisiana began in 1988 with one deputy from Tangipahoa Parish and the first training was held in Alexandria in June 1990. The Louisiana Sheriff's Association adopted the D.A.R.E. program as the drug prevention program of choice for the state. Since the first training in 1990, the program has spread to elementary schools in 60 of the state's 64 parishes. The junior high D.A.R.E. program is taught in 37 parishes and the high school program is taught only in Vermilion Parish. The high school D.A.R.E. program is included in the long-range goals of the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office, but there are no plans to implement it in the immediate future.

The Elementary School D.A.R.E. program curriculum was revised in 1994 to address the areas of gang and violence in communities and schools. Two complete lessons were added to the elementary curriculum to discuss conflict resolution and gang violence. The 17-week program is taught in the classroom once a week.

The Junior High School D.A.R.E. curriculum was revised in 1996 and several changes were made to include character education and more interactive activities with the students. The 10-day curriculum is taught daily for two weeks.

The Senior High School program has been revised and is scheduled for release in the fall of 1998. Several lessons in the curriculum were changed to deal with issues of date rape, drinking by high school students and conflict resolution. A two-week program, it is taught for ten straight by a team comprising a D.A.R.E. officer and a classroom teacher, both of whom have received special training together.

There is also a D.A.R.E. Parent Program consisting of six two-hour sessions taught to adults. The program is currently offered in 20 Louisiana parishes, including Caddo Parish.

Worldwide, D.A.R.E. is taught in all 50 states and in 48 foreign countries. The effectiveness of D.A.R.E. has been attacked recently by critics. In the spring of 1997, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) issued a guide to prevention drug use among young people. Many drug prevention programs were examined and D.A.R.E. meets all the standards outlined by NIDA.

A major funding source for the Louisiana D.A.R.E. program the past four years has been the Louisiana Legislature and continued funding is needed to expand the program. The children need to have a reinforcement of the prevention program to help them maintain the highest level of resistance skills. A goal in Louisiana is to implement D.A.R.E. in all elementary and junior high schools by the year 2000.

All studies show the longer a child is delayed from the first experiment with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, the less likely they are to ever use them. This is the goal of D.A.R.E., to give the children the knowledge to make the right decisions and to say "NO" to drugs, peer pressure, gang violence and to make healthy decisions.

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School Resource Officers

The Sheriff's Office provides full-time School Resource Officers at Byrd High School, Northwood High School, Southwood High School, and Woodlawn High School.

These officers provide law enforcement assistance to the schools and assist with the overall security at the schools. They act as a resource for the students and faculty, conducting instructional programs on drug prevention, gang activity, personal safety, driver safety, and other subject areas related to crime and safety awareness and prevention.

The Sheriff's Office operates a 24 hour Safe School Hot Line for all Caddo Parish public and private schools. The Hot Line enables students and others to report incidents of violence, drugs, and weapons to the Sheriff's Office in complete confidentiality. Once the information is received and reviewed, the affected school is notified of the problem and if necessary, an investigation is started. The Sheriff's Office works with the school or student to resolve the reported information.

Safe School Help Hot Line:

222-4357 or 1-800-899-4543 for persons outside the Shreveport calling zone. After accessing the line, individuals may leave a message or press the pound sign (#) 911 to leave an emergency message.