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Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.)

The Public Safety Education and Training Center is home to the Maryland Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Officer training program, conducting training for new DARE officers as well as annual in-service programs. The DARE program is a comprehensive K-12 prevention education program taught in schools by highly trained law enforcement officers. The programs teach students good decision-making skills that will help them lead safe and healthy lives .

D.A.R.E. Officer Training (DOT)

Police officers who are carefully vetted by leadership in their community law enforcement agencies are sent to DOTs. They are further vetted by the mentors responsible for training new D.A.R.E. officers. Then, D.A.R.E. officers undergo a rigorous 80-hour training course conducted by mentors with a significant number of years of classroom experience, as well as university-level educators from Colleges of Education. All officers are taught to deliver the curricula exactly as they are written, thereby achieving the goal of nearly 100% implementation fidelity.

The training course is mandated by D.A.R.E. America and administered by the Maryland D.A.R.E. Training Center. The Training Center is housed at the Maryland Community Policing Institute of the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions (M.P.C.T.C.).

D.A.R.E. Officer Training consists of:

  • 80+ hrs. of training which provides successful graduates with authorization to deliver copyrighted D.A.R.E. curricula for:
    • Elementary, middle school and high school programs,
    • Parent and community programs,
    • Enhancement lessons on such topics as Opioids, More Than Sad (teen suicide), Vaping, Bullying, Gangs, and Internet Safety.
  • The focus of the training is to provide instructors with the skills necessary for successful classroom instruction and student learning.

Enrollment Information:

  • Maryland candidates must enroll through their Training Coordinator on MDLE.net.
  • Course is free of cost to all Maryland candidates representing current D.A.R.E. participating agencies or agencies who will be implementing D.A.R.E. programs in their local communities for the current or up-coming school year.
    • Includes lodging, instruction, and course materials, provided free by M.P.C.T.C.
  • Training candidates representing agencies from outside the state of Maryland will be invoiced a nominal fee to cover the cost of lodging in the training center dormitory.
    • These costs are determined by the Training Commission on an annual basis.
  • All candidates, in or out of state, will be responsible for their own meals each day either from the on-site cafeteria or at any of the many area dining establishments.

Participation in all sessions of the course, completion of all training objectives, and satisfactory skills performance is required for certification. It is required that participants be certified law enforcement officers with two years of experience. Waivers to this requirement are possible and granted on a case by case basis upon request.

For further information contact the State D.A.R.E. Coordinator Mike Casamento at 410-875-3474, or email michael.casamento@maryland.gov.