D.A.R.E.

What Is D.A.R.E.?

D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a joint project of the North Carolina Department of Public Education, Jacksonville Police Department, Onslow County School System, and Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Schools on Camp Lejeune, to prevent drug abuse and violence among children and youth. Traditional drug abuse programs dwell on the harmful effects of drugs. D.A.R.E helps students recognize and resist the many subtle pressures that influence them to experiment with alcohol, inhalants, marijuana, and other dangerous drugs. The objectives of D.A.R.E. are clear, distinct and decisive. They are:

DARE graduation at local elementary school
  • To provide students with skills for recognizing and resisting social pressure to experiment with drugs
  • To help students recognize ways to deal with anger and violence
  • To help enhance self-esteem
  • To teach positive alternatives to substance use
  • To help students develop skills in risk assessment and decision making
  • To build interpersonal and communication skills

D.A.R.E. officers achieve these objectives by attending training which prepares officers to present a structured, sequential curriculum.

An important by-product of D.A.R.E. is the impact made by uniform law enforcement officers working in the classrooms. These officers provide a positive role model for children in a nonthreatening environment.

D.A.R.E. in Schools

Jacksonville Police maintains one of the largest D.A.R.E. programs in the state. Currently, D.A.R.E. is taught in 10 elementary schools. One of the unique features of our D.A.R.E. Program is the fact that D.A.R.E. is taught by this agency to DoDEA schools on Camp Lejeune.

D.A.R.E. has been and remains a vital crime prevention program in the Jacksonville Police Department. It is a known fact that the youth of any community is that community's future. Teaching children about drugs and violence through D.A.R.E. adds value to an age-old adage, "protecting the future." The Jacksonville Police Department is committed to that old adage and has accepted the challenge of Project D.A.R.E.

Questions & Requests

E-mail our D.A.R.E. Officer or call 910-938-6406.