Veteran Stafford Police Officer Graduates DARE Training

STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, NJ - Stafford Township Officer Marisa Lawrence is now one of the four department officers qualified to serve as a DARE officer, Officer Christopher M. Fritz.

Lawrence graduated from the D.A.R.E. America International Program held in Bridgewater recently. The training consists of nearly 100 hours and prepares officers to have a good working knowledge of the DARE "Keeping It Real" curriculum to teach in the classroom.

Lawrence is a 10-year veteran of the police department and and is assigned to the patrol division.

The Stafford Township Police Department has been presenting DARE programs to fifth-graders in the Stafford school district, the All Saints Regional Catholic School and the Southern Regional school district for 30 years.

"The rapport that our officers developed with these students over the years has been a critical component of our successful Community Policing initiative," Fritz said. "The DARE curriculum has evolved and transformed over the years to remain current and provides our kids with additional tools to resist peer pressure, cope with stress, and be confident student leaders."

Police need every resource to cope with the opiate epidemic, he said.

"With programs like DARE, On-POINT, Blue HART, #NotEvenOnce, and our proactive Drug Enforcement Unit, Stafford Police makes daily strives to save lives through education, prevention, enforcement, and rehabilitation," Fritz said.

Photo: Courtesy of the Stafford Township Police Department