By AAH Angela Bruner
Hennessey Police Officer Luis Rojo completed the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) instructor program on July 24, becoming one of approximately 100 active D.A.R.E. officers in Oklahoma. Rojo joins Hennessey Police Chief Christian Solis and Kingfisher County Sheriff Aaron Pitts as the only D.A.R.E.-certified law enforcement officers currently serving in Kingfisher County.
While many people remember D.A.R.E. as a program focused mainly on drugs, Chief Solis said today’s curriculum is much different. The program now centers on helping students make good decisions, understand the consequences of their choices, solve problems, and handle peer pressure with confidence.
One of the biggest focuses is on fifth graders as they prepare to move into middle school and begin facing more independence and new social pressures. Rather than relying on scare tactics, D.A.R.E. teaches students practical decision-making skills they can use every day.
Solis said the program also gives students age-appropriate ways to say no without feeling like they have to give up friendships. The goal is to help kids build confidence while making choices that are right for them.
“As law enforcement, we often think our job is catching bad guys,” Solis said. “But if we can help create fewer bad guys by making a positive impact on kids now, we’ll have a better society in the future.”
With his training complete, Officer Rojo will begin bringing the updated D.A.R.E. program into local classrooms, helping Hennessey students develop the decision-making skills they’ll use well beyond their school years.
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