Drug Prevention Placebo

How DARE wastes time, money, and police

Jeff Elliott from the March 1995 issue

(Page 3 of 9)

"Did you take it in the right way?"

"Yes."

"Today, maybe you have a bad headache. Should you take 10 Tylenol?"

"No," the children chorus.

"That's right. That's called drug abuse. That's all a drug is--something that can help you or hurt you, depending on how you take it."

The children listen attentively. Campbell is more than a police officer; he is also a natural teacher, demonstrating a genius that outreaches mere talent. In front of a class, he is transformed, riffing off the kids' questions and comments like Robin Williams, connecting with every child in the room. Hands down, he is one of the best teachers imaginable. DARE and the city of Petaluma are fortunate.

In all classes, time is set aside for questions. Before school, Campbell accurately predicted the first question: "Have you ever shot anybody?" Similar career-day questions follow as the intrigued fourth graders quiz their visiting policeman. His profession is close to their minds; like all DARE officers, Campbell wears his uniform--but sans handgun, walkie-talkie, and other tools of his trade.

These brief kindergarten through fifth-grade classroom visits, Campbell later explains, lay the groundwork for the DARE core curriculum, taught in the sixth grade. Campbell gives safety advice, reminds them to call 911 "if they need to," and prepares them for their DARE sessions. Not insignificantly, he also becomes a familiar and trusted figure. "One of the most beneficial things of the program is that kids get to see police officers like human beings," he says, corroborating a finding of the NIJ-sponsored study.

Next in his schedule is a sixth-grade DARE lesson, where Campbell teaches the fourth of the 17 lessons in the DARE curriculum. It opens with one of the most controversial elements of the program: the DARE Box. On a window shelf rests the decorated shoebox, where anonymous notes can be passed to Campbell.

Campbell reads the first question: "Someone in my family is doing drugs and I'm worried that if I say anything it will make it worse." Heads spin. Who is it?

"Don't look around," Campbell says quickly. "It isn't important to know who wrote it."

A girl raises her hand. "Maybe that kid wants to talk to you about it."

"I'm more than willing to do that," he smiles warmly. "You all know me." He asks them the consequences of using an illegal drug.

"You could get in trouble," one child says. Another adds, "You could die."

Says Campbell, "It's probably OK to get them into trouble, if that's going to happen."