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BUREAU OF POLICE 401 N CENTRE ST POTTSVILLE PA 17901 PH#(570)622-1234 FAX#(570)622-3524  |
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D.A.R.E.
The centerpiece of Pottsville Bureau of Police prevention activity is the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, aimed at reducing drug abuse and violence. D.A.R.E. was developed in 1983 as a cooperative effort of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Traditional drug abuse programs dwell on the harmful effects of drugs, but the emphasis of D.A.R.E. is to help students recognize and resist the many subtle pressures that influence them to experiment with drugs, gangs and violence. In addition, program strategies focus on feelings relating to self-esteem, interpersonal and communication skills, decision making, and positive alternatives to drug abuse behavior.
Pottsville's D.A.R.E. program adheres to those principles and has been implemented in the Pottsville Area School District since 1989. Pottsville Bureau of Police D.A.R.E. Officers were among the first in Pennsylvania, having received their training in California directly from the Los Angeles Police Department. Subsequently Pottsville was instrumental in bringing the Los Angeles Police Department's D.A.R.E. Training Cadre here to Schuylkill County in order to train officers from departments throughout the area and spread the D.A.R.E. program further.
Sergeant Steve Durkin currently instructs the D.A.R.E. curriculum at the D.H.H. Lengel Middle School, the John S. Clarke Elementary School, All Saints Elementary, and Saint Stephen's Regional School.
The program is supported by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the City of Pottsville, the Pottsville Area School District, and contributions from civic organizations and individuals.
For more information on the program, or how you can help, contact Sergeant Steve Durkin at Pottsville's City Hall - (570)622-1234, extension 142.
McGRUFF THE CRIME DOG
The Pottsville Bureau of Police helps provide McGruff programs to appropriate grade levels. McGruff puppets and recordings are used regularly by teachers in their classrooms to introduce personal safety concepts to students, and visits by the full sized McGruff re-inforce those lessons. The Bureau's McGruff and Officer Friendly team can be seen at many public events and parades, and visits elementary school students at least once a year.
FUN DAY
One day each year at John S. Clarke is set aside as Fun Day, where the emphasis is placed on cooperative interaction among students, teachers and parents. Games and activities are scheduled throughout the day, both indoors and out. The Pottsville Bureau of Police places a premium on maintaining positive community relations and establishing a rapport with our youngsters and their parents, so each year officers are assigned to assist with Fun Day activities.
This type of non-traditional interaction with the community can build positive and lasting relations and contribute to the overall well-being of the City of Pottsville.
