2. School Resource Officer12 1 s- AvE EAST - PO Box 199 7- ALISPE .L, NIT 59-903
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REPORT: honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Frank darner, Chief of Police
SUBJECT: School Resource Officer/D.A.R.E. Teaching Format
WORK SESSION: August 15, 2005
BACKGROUND: The Kalispell Police Department has taught the D.A.R.E.
curriculum for fifteen years. The course was originally taught to 6 h grade students but
has more recently been taught at the 5'1' grade level. Kalispell has been the only
department in our region that has continued to teach the program. Though D.A.R.E. has
been exceptionally effective on building positive relationships between students and
police officers its effect on teen drug use has been limited.
Over the past few years the department has also been involved in the School Resource
Officer program at the high school and junior high. The SRO program involves police
officers in a triad model that promotes teaching, counseling and enforcement. The SRO
program has been extremely successful in developing positive relationships between the
department, the school district and students.
As a result of the new high school, Kalispell will be the beneficiary of a new middle
school containing grades 6 through 8. As these changes approach the department has
begun to look critically at how it can better affect teen drug use.
In reviewing the D.A.R.E. program with the school district, the officers involved in the
program, and concerned members of the community the department feels it will be more
effective to transition from the D.A.R.E. curriculum to the School Resource Officer
model in the new middle school.
The department feels the School Resource Officer model will allow officers to participate
more completely with students and teachers without being tied strictly to the D.A.R.E.
curriculum. With restrictions placed on school districts by the "No Child Left Behind"
mandates it has become increasingly necessary to optimize class time. SROs would be
able to participate with the district in their drug prevention programs through the health
curriculum rather than compete for time with them. More importantly SROs would be
more free to develop positive relationships with students and participate more freely as
needs arise, rather than participating in only 5' grade classes once a week through the
strictly defined D.A.R.E. curriculum. The middle school SRO would replace the
D.A.R.E. Officer position.
FRANK IG7 F"NIER. C IET OF PC CL 4 ROGER KR USs.As ISTA T, CHIEF of POLICE
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The department feels it has an inherent responsibility to critically review its processes in
determining how to most effectively combat crime issues. It is our belief that though the
D.A.R.E. program has been a valuable resource to the community, the School Resource
Officer program will make better use of our resources and will prove to be a more
effective tool in making schools safe, improving our drug prevention efforts and
developing positive relationships with students.
RECOMMENDATIONS: The police department should develop a middle school
SRO to participate in drug prevention, enforcement, counseling, mentoring and teaching.
FISCAL EFFECTS: As described.
ALTERNATIVES: As recommended by Council.
Respectfully submitted,
Fr Garner
Chief of Police
6) KAL�SPELL FOUCE DEPARTMENT
im Patrick
City Manager
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