With a commitment to reinstating the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program in Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Sheriff Rocky Holcomb and the VBSO will graduate 10 sworn deputies from the D.A.R.E. America Training Program on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024.
“We are proud to be a part of this program,” said Sheriff Rocky Holcomb. “We are ready to go back into the schools to teach and mentor children about the dangers of guns, gang activity, bullying, drug use and so much more. We know it makes a difference.”
The Virginia Beach D.A.R.E. program was cut in 2015 due to budgetary constraints. At the time, the program cost about $780,000 a year and was run by the VBSO. D.A.R.E. has revamped its curriculum over the last 10 years, with studies showing that it is more effective than past programs, with D.A.R.E. students being less likely to use drugs than their peers.
D.A.R.E. fosters essential skills like communication and positive interactions with authority figures, including law enforcement. These are all crucial for our children's healthy development and the health and safety of our community.
Holcomb twice asked the Virginia Beach City Council earlier this year to fund D.A.R.E. and return it to Beach elementary schools. To date, no funding has been set aside for the program.
“The VBSO is ready to do the heavy lifting to reimplement the program even better than it was. Providing this free training before money has been put back proves our readiness to serve the elementary school children who need this program,” Holcomb said. “I feel strongly that we need to put D.A.R.E. back into our schools to educate our young people and turn them away from destructive behaviors that kill innocent victims and leave tragedy in their wake.”
The graduation is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, at 11 a.m. at the Law Enforcement Training Academy, 411 Integrity Way, Virginia Beach. Thirty people, including VBSO’s 10, will graduate from the two-week program. Law enforcement has come from across the Commonwealth and from Maryland and West Virginia for the training.
Media contact: Public Information Officer Toni Guagenti, tguagenti@vbso.net or 757-373-5012 .