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XI. DARE Summary <br />2013 Annual Report · Police Department · St. Anthony Village, Minnesota <br />21 <br />XI. DARE Summary <br />Prepared by Sergeant Spiess <br />dangers of tobacco, alcohol, inhalants and marijuana. <br />They also dove into topics on decision making, choosing <br />good friends, being a good friend to others, avoiding <br />and getting out of risky situations, peer pressure, and <br />personal pressure. Each student also completed a DARE <br />essay, in which they described important things that they <br />had learned, along with a commitment to stay drug free. <br />The eighth grade students from St. Anthony Middle <br />School and St. Charles Borromeo School were also led <br />in pertinent and challenging topics as they relate to <br />drug information and making good life choices. Some <br />of the topics of discussion included decision making <br />skills, facts on drug use and abuse, internet safety, <br />and juvenile laws and personal safety. Students were <br />encouraged to work through realistic life circumstances <br />with their peers and the Officer and to use critical <br />thinking to identify solutions. <br />DARE has long been a strong component of the St. <br />Anthony Police Department’s focus on Community <br />Oriented Policing, as it centers around a partnership <br />between the parents, the schools, and the police <br />department. This community-oriented focus is enhanced <br />by way of the St. Anthony Police Department’s School <br />Resource Officer involvement at the St. Anthony <br />High School and Middle School. During a portion of <br />the school year, the St. Anthony DARE Officer is <br />present in the school to partner with school officials, <br />teachers, parents, and students to enhance the learning <br />experience, promote responsible behavior, and to help <br />solve problems. This connection helps students to see <br />the Police Officer as not only an enforcer, but also as a <br />helper with an interest in them making good life choices. <br />The partnership that the DARE program promotes <br />provides for familiarity, trust, and opens communication <br />lines that are vital to solving community issues and <br />promoting a great city in which to live, learn, and work. <br />In 2014 a new DARE officer will take over. Officer Jon <br />Schlingman was chosen through a competitive selection <br />process. I am sure he will do a great job. <br />The St. Anthony Police Department proudly continued <br />its dedication to the city’s youth in 2013. The Drug <br />Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program was <br />brought to children in the 5th and 8th grades in the <br />City of St. Anthony-New Brighton School District. Each <br />of these grade levels participated in police officer-led <br />classroom lessons that encouraged interaction and <br />strong student participation. In all, approximately 300 <br />students participated in the DARE program in 2013. <br />Fifth grade students from Wilshire Park Elementary and <br />St. Charles Borromeo School participated in 9 lessons <br />with the St. Anthony Officer, which was topped off <br />with a commencement ceremony to celebrate their <br />accomplishments and graduation from the DARE <br />program. During the several weeks that the officer <br />was there, the students were led in discussions on the