School Resource Officer Joseph Carroll, left, and School Resource Office Billy Tiner, right recently graduated and certified as D.A.R.E. officers. They are shown here with Sheriff Patrick Ray.  Sheriff Ray says "School Resource Officer Joseph Carroll will be teaching D.A.R.E. at Northside Elementary School and School Resource Officer Billy Tiner will be teaching at DeKalb West School. These two School Resource Officers will be a great asset for the Sheriff's Department's D.A.R.E. Program and the Students and Staff of DeKalb West School and Northside Elementary School." 

Drug Abuse Resistance Education is an education program that seeks to prevent use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior. It was founded in Los Angeles in 1983 as a joint initiative of then-LAPD chief Daryl Gates and the Los Angeles Unified School District as a demand-side drug control strategy of the American War on Drugs. The program's mascot is Daren the Lion. The course is 10 weeks long to 5th grade students. Students learn the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco use. Students will also learn about bullying and what to do if you are bullied.