Officers complete D.A.R.E. training

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Officers complete D.A.R.E. training

By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer

For a second time this school year, the Marshall County School District and Sheriff’s Department have teamed up with law enforcement agencies to certify D.A.R.E. officers at Henry Elementary School.

One Alabama and Illinois and nine Mississippi law enforcement officers received their Drug Abuse Resistance Education certificates during training Thursday.

Lt. Sheri Hall, with Lee County Sheriff’s Department, said two classes, or a total of about 60 D.A.R.E. officers receive training in Mississippi each year. Numbers are down somewhat due to Hurricane Katrina this year, she said.

Trainers for this class are from Lee County, Oxford PD, Batesville PD and Kosciusko.

It is the warm and welcoming treatment that officers in training get at Henry School that keeps them coming back, Hall said.

“Henry School - the students, faculty and the sheriff’s office - is welcoming to us and so we kept school visits here,” Hall said. “It’s hard to turn down.”

This year the welcome mat got a little thicker. Officers enjoyed a catfish lunch provided by Sheriff Kenny Dickerson and some of his staff, special attention and kindness from principal Kerry Reid, and words of encouragement from superintendent Don Randolph and assistant superintendent R.C. Anderson and the gracious attention of kindergarten and first grade classes.

Glendora Brunson loved having officers take their training in her kindergarten class. They sat on the floor with colorful resource materials to explain safety rules to her youngsters.

“The students are excited about everything,” Brunson said. “They are fresh students. They are sweet and precious.”

Marshall County Schools are fortunate to have certified D.A.R.E. officers present in three schools this year, according to Sheriff Dickerson.

Tamara Jeffries is D.A.R.E. and school resource officer at Henry, Kathy Elliott is the school officer at Byers, and Shane Goode is the school officer at Mary Reid School and Potts Camp.

Other guests this year for lunch included John Morris with the Mississippi Highway Patrol.

Dickerson expressed his personal appreciation to the officers and trainers for conducting training at Henry for officers in three states this year.

“We appreciate you all going the extra mile,” he said. “We are impressed with progress made through the D.A.R.E. program and decided to do the program this year.”

Dickerson said crime can be prevented through early education of children - particularly by teaching children to avoid drugs.

“All we can do is to continue to do our fight and reach out and try to touch young people - to try to stop these problems that are really ruining America,” he said.

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