Police Work To Meet Students In Bristol Borough Classrooms

For Bristol Borough police, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) program isn’t just about teaching students to make the right decisions, but it’s about getting face time with youngsters.

On Tuesday morning, Sgt. Carlos Rivera held one of the first classes of the session with fifth graders in Dave Tyrell’s class at Snyder-Girotti Elementary School.

The longtime borough police officer and military veteran talked to students about making good choices and staying out of trouble. They asked questions about various topics, including alcohol abuse and chewing tobacco, and Rivera answered them in a truthful but age-appropriate manor.

Rivera has taught the D.A.R.E. program in the past but it wasn’t in the schools last year due to his deployment to Guantanamo Bay.

Chief of Police Steve Henry, who was hired last year, said he felt the program was important to familiarize elementary school students with police officers.

“The program allows us an audience with the children, which we feel is the most important thing overall,” he said.

“We talk about decision making, consequences and the other aspects of the D.A.R.E. program.”

Rivera is working with fifth graders at Snyder-Girotti and the St. Mark Catholic School.

The current D.A.R.E. program has less of a focus on the no drugs message of years past and focuses on overall decisions and the consequences of making bad choices.