Sheriff Pohlmann and Maj. Clark tell D.A.R.E. program graduates in schools they must make the right choices in life and use the tools they have been given

Students at Our Lady of Prompt Succor School stand on stage to perform the D.A.R.E.program theme song for parents.

Winners of the D.A.R.E. essay contest at our Lady of Prompt Succor School were, in front at left, Ainsleigh Armand and at right,, Emma Powell. They are flanked by 5th-grade teachers, at left, Rachel Vogt, and at right, Anne Fabian. Behind them are sheriff’s deputies, from left, Lt. Richard Jackson, Scott Maitrejean, Gary Noriea, Lt. Lisa Jackson who commands the D.A.R.E. program, Jonathan Smith, Byron Shoemaker, Maj. Chad Clark, Sgt. Daniel Bostic, D.A.R.E. instructor Sgt. Darrin Miller, Capt. Chip Englande, Sgt. Joseph Alfonso, Mike Plaiscia and Capt. Ronnie Martin. Essay runner-ups, not shown, were Rachel Boseman and Gary Sandrock.

The Sheriff’s Office is again honoring St. Bernard Parish fifth-graders who have completed a 12-week program in Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., taught by instructors from the Sheriff’s Office – a program aimed at trying to keep kids from using drugs including tobacco and alcohol or taking part in violence or bullying others.

D.A.R.E. program graduations were held April 15 at Our Lady of Prompt Succor School in Chalmette and on April 16 at Willie Smith Jr. Elementary School in Violet.

Sheriff James Pohlmann told children 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.

And he said parents must “stay engaged with 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.

If necessary, drug test kits are available at pharmacies to test young people, the sheriff told parents. “If your child isn’t on drugs, hug them and tell them you love them. If they are on drugs, you still hug them and tell them you love them,’’ but look for treatment options to get to the problem, Sheriff Pohlmann 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.

“We can’t arrest ourselves out of this problem,’’ Clark said, noting there still are overdoses and fatalities from drug use in St. Bernard Parish. But he said overdose deaths have been going down in the parish because of a combination of factors including law enforcement diligence. He noted that 100,000 people a year die in America because of drugs and the resurgence of the drug heroin is concerning law enforcement and health care officials.

Several hundred 5th-grade students graduate each semester the D.A.R.E. program given by St. Bernard sheriff’s officers Lt. Lisa Jackson, commander of the program, and Sgt. Darrin Miller. Each student writes an essay about what the learned from the program and the best essays writers are honored at rhe graduations.

Graduations will be held again April 30 at Chalmette Elementary and May 6 at Lacoste Elementary in Chalmette. The D.A.R.E. program, held in both public and private schools, was re-established in 2009, four years after Hurricane Katrina.

“Learn the warning signs of drug use,’’ in young people, Sheriff Pohlmann said to parents at Willie Smith Jr. Elementary, including:

– Loss of interest in things they used to do such as sports or reading.

– Hanging around with new groups of friends unknown to parents.

– Sudden attitude or mood swings.

– Sudden problems connected with school and academics.

Talk regularly with your children and be familiar with their friends, the sheriff said.

If parents see signs of possible problems, don’t be hesitant to ask what is happening and, if necessary, use home drug-test kits to make sure they aren’t on drugs, he said. “Don’t wait until it is too late,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said. “It is not a phase they will grow out of.’’

Maj. Clark told children they have received the tools they need to begin making right choices. He also said parents can call the SID Division at 271-DOPE (3673) to make an appointment if they want to discuss any particular problem involving their children and drugs.

Taking part in D.A.R.E. graduations from the Sheriff’s Office besides Sheriff Pohlmann, Maj. Clark, Lt. Lisa Jackson, Sgt.Darrin Miller, Capt. Ronnie Martin and Lt. Richard Jackson were members of the Special Investigations Division.