D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education)

                                      The Kewanee Police Department is proud to be one of thousands of police departments that participate and teach the D.A.R.E. program.  D.A.R.E. was developed in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department in cooperation with the Los Angeles School Districts.

Kewanee Police Department began teaching the D.A.R.E. program in 1989, with it's first instructor, Illinois State Trooper Nena Myers.  Officer Harry Underwood then assumed the role of Kewanee's D.A.R.E. officer for a number of years, followed by officer Mike Hilderbrand.  Recently officer Rich Turley was designated the assignment.

Kewanee's D.A.R.E. program is geared towards the 6th graders.  Kewanee School District's Elementary level consists of 7 schools and approximately 220 sixth graders participate in the program per year, with those who successfully complete the course graduating in a combined ceremony at Kewanee High School.

The 17 week D.A.R.E. course consists of these lessons:

  1.  Introduction to D.A.R.E.
  2.  Understanding the effects of mind altering drugs.
  3.  Considering consequences.
  4.  Changing beliefs about drug use.
  5.  Learning resistance techniques.
  6.  Building self-esteem
  7.  Learning assertiveness
  8.  Managing stress without taking drugs.
  9.  Reducing violence
10.  Combating media influences on drug use and violence.
11.  making decisions about risky behaviors.
12.  Saying  yes to positive alternatives.
13.  Having positive role models.
14.  Resisting Gang & Group violence
15.  Summarizing D.A.R.E. Lessons.
16.  Taking a stand.
17.  D.A.R.E. culmination

In addition to the 17 week D.A.R.E. core lessons, students are taken on a field trip to the Henry County Jail and Courthouse, located in Cambridge, Illinois.  There they are shown the "nice" facility people are housed in when the suffer the "consequences" of breaking the law or using drugs.  Also members of the Emergency Response Team (E.R.T.) give an in the classroom demonstration of their tactics.  After the E.R.T. demonstration, officer Chuck russell and his K-9 partner "Brek" show the students the dog's ability to sniff out drugs.

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