The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program, is the pioneer prevention effort founded in Los Angeles California in 1983. Is going high-tech, interactive, and decision-model-based. Gleaming with the latest in prevention science and teaching techniques.
After a meeting this week in the premises of the San Felipe area municipal Police which depends on the Public Security Secretariat of Mexicali; we were fortunate to interview officer Fernando Ledezma who is in charge of implementing the International DARE program guidelines in our town.
We were received in the police station with all attentions by Mr. Edgar Dueñas Felix deputy of the Ministry of Public Security and also responsible for the safety of San Felipe. The local police department is composed of 43 members, 15 women and 28 men as officers, four commanders and 12 patrols.
During the interview the officer Fernando Ledezma gave us important details about the DARE program and its application in town. He also shared information that helps us understand and learn more about the work of the police in the region.
We learned that the officer Fernando Ledezma is an international DARE instructor and was appointed last year as DARE policeman of the year at an event in the state of Ohio in the United States.
According to our conversation we learned that the contents of the DARE program to prevent addictions and risky behaviors have been gradually being promoted to achieve to reach its target and accomplish the goals.
The contents of the program are designed to inform and educate students in elementary, middle and high schools in San Felipe. The program does not attack the drug itself but educates and informs young people about the risks involved so they can make intelligent decisions and know which are the options that best serve their development.
The DARE program informs of the risks involved in using each one of the substances that are more commonly consumed in society and educate the young ones on the impact that such consumptions cause.
In San Felipe there has been a decline in substance abuse by the younger population due in part to the effects of this program and the work of the military in the region.
However, there has been a growing trend towards the use of chemical inhalants by sectors of the population under 18 years of age.
So far the authorities have banned the sale of solvents and other similar chemicals in all stores and hardware stores in the city to people under 18.
The use of graffiti is under control in San Felipe at a 70% percent rate. OfficerLedezma informed us there are two basic types of graffiti, one is the artistic and the other is the vandalism type. The DARE program and police department also support the population in this matters.
Through the DARE program community activities are designed to be carried out by young people between the ages of 12 and 15, whom are required by their schools to be part of social service programs between grades six and nine.
Social service activities are diverse and aimed at benefiting the life within the community, such as beach cleaning, the maintenance of public spaces and areas as an example.
In the day to day works at the Police department of San Felipe, when a child is admitted for a felony or misdemeanor, it is channeled and made available to the DARE program who are commissioned to guide the young ones through a series of processes.
Officer Ledezma tells us how important it is for the parents to learn to be responsible for their sons and daughters and learn to be their guides. Parents can educate and guide their families about these issues and other important aspects of life in a community, like human rights and the Mexican constitution.
Officer Ledezma informed that within all the daily activities of the Secretariat of Public Security human rights of all people are taken into account.
So far in San Felipe there is one full-time officer assigned to the DARE program and who is responsible for coordinating and implementing the comprehensive and strategic community program.
We were informed during the interview that all those interested in supporting the DARE program can make donations in cash or with useful items to support their activities which are constant throughout the year. Your donations can be made directly in the Police Station of San Felipe.
Initially as a young kid, officer Ledezma had inclinations towards studying a career as a teacher but at the end he choose to work at the police department; although his teaching skills are put into practice every time he makes a presentation before a group of students.
His abilities as an instructor have increased by attending meetings at different international conferences aimed at improving the skills of the instructors handling groups of students. This ensures core program messages and content are transmitted in an efficient manner. Official Ledezma also mentioned he follows his own study program on related topics.
Mexicali is currently the bi national home for DARE, which officially started its institutional activities under the administration of former Governor Eugenio Elorduy Walter. The DARE board of directors is composed of officers working for the Ministry of Public Security and verifies that all personnel involved in the program have the skills and knowledge required for effective communication in front of student groups that are composed of children and teenagers.
The selection process to become an officer in the DARE program is very careful in order to ensure that accepted officers can carry out all tasks related to achieving the goals and objectives of DARE.
Within its administrative structure DARE is supported by a program designed to detect drugs in schools with the use of K-9 trained dogs.
The Ministry of Public Security of Mexicali is an organism that has excelled in promoting and implementing high quality standards. Following the program CALEA guidelines they have, for the past 15 years, consistently rated procedures to improve the quality of the arrests and have implemented a wide range of quality standards that include the use of helicopters to reinforce the police actions, the implementation of a SWAT response team and K-9 and k-12 programs among others.
Officer Ledezma has worked full time for nine consecutive years on the DARE program and next year will receive a commemorative ring awarded every 10 years to the active personnel of the corporation.
Secondary level students are those who pose the greatest challenge for the provision of the educational information of DARE but at the same time we are informed there are no gangs or gang related problems in San Felipe which in other places of the country are a real headache for the community.
In the words of the officer Ledezma, the problem of corruption begins in the cradle, and corruption is to blame to both citizens and public officials alike.
His message is aimed at encouraging citizens to avoid getting involved in corruption acts and to motivate other citizens to raise complaints against irregularities enacted by the security forces.
Officer Ledezma ends the conversation by noting that San Felipe is urgently needed of recreational spaces for the young scattered all across the city. Spaces where culture can be disseminated, equipped with green areas and sports facilities. These spaces could promote the quality of life of the local young people and would provide an environment that keep them away from substances and potential antisocial behaviors.
Any person or organization interested in supporting the DARE program in the city of San Felipe can visit the Police Station. Phone number: 577 1134.