More than 30,000 Salem children have been exposed to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.), and the Salem Police Foundation has pledged to raise funds to support the program.
Developed in 1983, the program has been active in Salem since 1992. Each year Officer Craig Seibel reaches about 1,000 students in the fifth grade in 15 public and private elementary schools.
Research finds that D.A.R.E. gives students better decision-making skills about drugs and helps them learn how to refuse to use drugs. A national survey found that 93 percent of students had learned ways to make good decisions about drug abuse and that 99 percent of parents gave positive support for the program.
