Nashville, Tennessee --- A new group of police officers and sheriff’s deputies graduated Friday, June 20, from Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) training conducted by the Tennessee Department of Safety. The culmination exercise commenced at 11:00 a.m., Friday, June 20, at Radisson Airport Hotel in Nashville.

Tennessee began its 40th D.A.R.E. Officer Training on June 8, at the Radisson Airport Hotel.  The training is conducted by the Highway Patrol’s internationally recognized D.A.R.E. unit.  The instructors teach a two-week course that certifies law enforcement in the Elementary and Middle School D.A.R.E. curricula.

The 17 officers, who completed the course, represent 14 Tennessee law enforcement agencies from across the state, as well as Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, and Virginia.  Upon completion of the training, the officers are also trained to assume duties as School Resource Officers (SRO’s) in their communities.

“This is a special day, because this graduation means there are 17 more officers working hard in the fight to prevent drug use among our most precious commodity – our children,” said THP Commander Colonel Mike Walker.  “The D.A.R.E. program is respected around the world, and I’m proud that the THP is helping to lead the way and educate officers about the program.”

D.A.R.E. is in its 25th year and is taught in 75 percent of the nation’s school districts and in more than 43 countries around the world.  D.A.R.E. recently expanded its curriculum to include lessons about the risks of abusing prescription and over-the-counter medicines.  THP D.A.R.E. officers were among the first in the country to teach this new program when, in April, 2008, they presented the new lessons to students at Monteagle Elementary School.

Since 1990, the THP has conducted dozens of D.A.R.E. Training Seminars in Nashville.  The classes have prepared more than a thousand officers to work with young people on drug education.  D.A.R.E. focuses on responsibility and resistance to peer pressure.  It targets communication and refusal skills, decision-making skills and awareness about drugs and health.  D.A.R.E. programs across Tennessee reach approximately 80 percent of all school systems, and an estimated 50,000 children each year.

“D.A.R.E. helps keep children away from drugs, but it also teaches them how to resist peer pressure and avoid becoming involved in gangs and violence,” said THP Sergeant Scott Staggs, Tennessee D.A.R.E. coordinator.  “These new D.A.R.E. officers have an important job in front of them, but they have undergone a lot of tough training and are ready for the challenge.”

D.A.R.E. ROSTER

40th D.A.R.E. OFFICER TRAINING SEMINAR
June 8 – 20, 2008

Bradley Ball .................................................................. Newport Police Department, TN
Emary Bryant ............................................................... Bradley County Sheriff’s Department, TN 
Mary Bullard.................................................................. Chattanooga County Sheriff’s Department, GA
Maria Cutshaw ............................................................  Sevier County Sheriff’s Department, TN
Eddie Dilbeck................................................................ Morristown Police Department, TN
Tim Dunlap ..................................................................  Bartlett Police Department, TN
Gary Edwards .............................................................  Cowan Police Department, TN
James Edwards............................................................. Downers Grove Police Department, IL
Dave Guy...................................................................... Hinesville Police Department, GA
John Harris ................................................................... Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, TN
Jacob Keener ..............................................................  Lenoir County Sheriff’s Department, TN
Winton Michaels ..........................................................  Bradley County Sheriff’s Department, TN
Cheryl Poole ................................................................. Person County Sheriff’s Department, NC
Jane Rhea....................................................................  Russell County Sheriff’s Department, VA
Steven Rich................................................................... Caldwell County Sheriff’s Department, NC
Gina Walker.................................................................. Person County Sheriff’s Department, NC
Gregory Whited.............................................................. Russell County Sheriff’s Department, VA

The Tennessee Department of Safety's mission is (www.tennessee.gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.