More than 300 5th-graders graduated the D.A.R.E. anti-drug program taught by the Sheriff’s Office in fall semester; Sheriff’s message to parents is to talk to their kids and watch for changes

D.A.R.E. essay winners at Willie Smith Elementary were, in front from left, Sheyla Cabrera, Cameron Marquez and Shamaya Cleggett. In back are D.A.R.E. instructor Sgt. Darrin Miller, Sheriff James Pohlmann, Maj. Chad Clark and Lt. Lisa Jackson, D.A.R.E. commander.	Maj. Chad Clark speaks at Arabi Elementary.
D.A.R.E. essay winners at Arabi Elementary were, in front from left, Elena Ozuna, Lilyan Aziz, Avery Edler and Isis Wilcox. In back are Lt. Lisa Jackson, Sgt. Darrin Miller, Maj. Chad Clark and Sheriff James Pohlmann.	D.A.R.E. essay winners at Our Lady of Prompt Succor were, from left in front,, Ella Lafrance, Halli Diecidue, Shania Raimer and Kathryn Kamlade. In back are Lt. Lisa Jackson, Sgt. Darrin Miller, School D.A.R.E. moderator Rachel Vogt, Maj. Chad Clark and Col. John Doran.

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office honored more than 200 fifth-graders at Willie Smith School, Arabi Elementary and Our Lady of Prompt Succor School on Dec. 15-17, who completed a 12-week program in Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., taught by instructors from the Sheriff’s Office.

It was the last D.A.R.E. graduation of the fall semester, which saw more than 300 students in five schools graduate the program, including at Chalmette Elementary and Lynn Oaks the week before the final three.

Lt. Lisa Jackson, commander of D.A.R.E., and Sgt. Darrin Miller are the instructors for the program, which was re-established in 2009, four years after Hurricane Katrina.

D.A.R.E. is aimed at trying to keep young people from using drugs including tobacco and alcohol, or taking part in violence or bullying of others.

Sheriff James Pohlmann told children at the graduations they must concentrate on making the right choices to have productive lives, including listening to their parents and teachers and deciding who they should and shouldn’t associate with.

The sheriff also praised those relatives of the graduates who turned out for the ceremony for showing their support for the students.

He encouraged them to continue staying focused on their children, including talking often with them and looking for warning signs to help prevent drug use or be alerted to them actually using drugs.

The sheriff said he supports anti-drug education programs from first-grade on in school systems to reach children as early as possible. And he supports treatment programs for users but firmly believes drug dealers must go to prison, he said.

“It comes down to choice,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann told students. “You have the choice every day’’ to hang with good people or bad people and to do drugs or refuse. And he said neither authorities, parents or anyone else can say they do enough to make sure drugs don’t reach children.

If parents notice changes in their kids indicating there might be a problem it is important to rescue them before they become involved in the criminal justice system and end up in prison, Sheriff Pohlmann said.
Don’t hesitate to ask what is happening. “It’s not something they will grow out of and it needs to be addressed,’’ the sheriff said.

Maj. Chad Clark, commander of the Special Investigations Division including the Narcotics Unit, said it takes the kind of education effort given by Sheriff’s Office drug resistance instructors at parish schools to affect the drug problem in America and solid law enforcement to stop drug dealers.

Clark said D.A.R.E. aims to begin educating children about the dangers of drugs and bullying before they encounter them because kids are exposed to drug use at an early age today. He said the efforts can be likened to a proverb by one of America’s founding fathers, Ben Franklin, who said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’’
At Prompt Succor, Col. John Doran, whose son, Seth, is a fifth-grader there and was taught the D.A.R.E. program, said he was speaking as a parent when he said, “This is the crucial age for your kids. Now is the time to really pay attention’’ to their friends and any changes in behavior that might signal drug use. And he told students, “Remember. Your parents are your best friends.’’

The resurgence of the deadly drug heroin is concerning law enforcement and health care officials throughout the nation and is something parents should be paying close attention to, Clark said. Heroin use has jumped more than 200 percent in a short period, Clark said.

But Clark said overdose deaths have been going down in the parish because of a combination of factors including law enforcement diligence.