Timmins Police Constable Rick Lemieux is no stranger to the D.A.R.E. program, having been a D.A.R.E. officer for 14 years. With his years of experience and expertise, Cst. Lemieux now receives requests to teach other D.A.R.E. officers around the world.
From September 18 – 29, Cst. Lemieux was in Bridgewater, New Jersey, helping to train new D.A.R.E. Officers. The invitation from D.A.R.E. International came to the Timmins Police Service with a specific request for Cst. Lemieux’s services.
“They are just getting the program up and running again in that area, so it’s great that I was able to assist with the training,” said Lemieux. He described the training as ‘intense’, with the course running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day and homework most nights.
A total of 28 new D.A.R.E. officers were trained in subjects ranging from lesson plans, D.A.R.E. grads and how to use the D.A.R.E. mobile app.
“Overall, it went very well,” added Cst. Lemieux. “After the officers completed their final evaluations, which consisted of teaching a lesson in front of a classroom of students, I can say I’m very confident that they will all make excellent D.A.R.E. officers in their communities.
