Pictured from left to right, Lt. Stephen Salvas congratulates PFCs John Foster, Tiffany Smith, and Kurt Burger, who recently became certified as DARE instructors.
DARE is a community based, nation-wide program which links law enforcement, schools and parents in a partnership to educate children about the dangers of drugs. The class is taught by police officers who present information to children in a classroom environment, providing skills on how to resist drugs and how to build resiliency to staying away from drugs. In addition, some of the other lessons discussed under the DARE program include bullying, gangs, internet safety, cyber-bullying, and prescription drug abuse. DARE instructors are certified to deliver programs at the K-4, elementary and middle school level.
In Charles County, a school resource officer is assigned to every high school and middle school on a full-time basis. These officers are also responsible for interacting with students at elementary schools. School resource officers strive to establish positive connections with students. They provide safety, teach classes, coordinate after- school activities and serve as mentors.
With the graduation of these officers, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office has a total of 18 officers qualified to teach the DARE curriculum. For more information about the CCSO school resource officers, follow this link.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is a full-service law enforcement agency comprised of more than 600 police, corrections and civilian personnel responsible for protecting more than 150,000 residents. The CCSO was accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 2001 has been designated as a CALEA Gold Standard of Excellence agency since 2011. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit ccso.us.
Media Contact
Diane Richardson
301-609-6557
richardsond@ccso.us