D.A.R.E. Program

The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) curriculum is designed to be taught by police officers whose training and experience gave them the background needed to answer the sophisticated questions often posed by young students about drugs and crime. Prior to entering the D.A.R.E. program, officers undergo 80 hours of special training in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching techniques, and communication skills.

D.A.R.E. goes beyond traditional drug abuse and violence prevention programs. It gives children the skills needed to recognize and resist the subtle and overt pressures that cause them to experiment with drugs or become involved in gangs or violent activities.

Through a cooperative agreement with the Piscataway Board of Education, the D.A.R.E. program is taught to fifth grade students in Arbor and Martin Luther King Elementary Schools.

Detective Calvin Laughlin and Detective Tishun Myers share instructional duties.  Both Detectives are certified D.A.R.E. Mentors, which certify them to instruct and prepare other police officers to teach the Drug Abuse Resistance Education curriculum to students in the classroom.

Questions related to D.A.R.E. or the curriculum can be directed to Detective Calvin Laughlin at (732) 562-2349.