Our Mission
This year 36 million school children around the world, 26 million in the U.S. will 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 nearly 80 percent of our nation’s school districts and in more than 54 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.
Part of the reason D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) works so well is because it is a collaborative effort between your police department, your school, parents, and community leaders. D.A.R.E. works because it surrounds children with support and encouragement from all sides.
D.A.R.E. teaches kids how to recognize and resist the direct and subtle pressures that influence them to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other drugs. And since between 70% and 90% of all crime is drug related, it is absolutely vital that we reach the children of America before it is too late.
The D.A.R.E. program is usually introduced to children in the 5th or 6th grade. A specially trained officer comes into your school and teaches the children.
In the fall of 2013 Deputy Tony Kovacs has been named to head the Lorain County Sheriff’s Dare officer program. Deputy Kovacs will continue to serve schools throughout Lorain County and occasionally assist schools beyond the counties’ borders when requested. During the summer months, Deputy Kovacs will also conduct Safety Towns throughout the county at various school districts.