DALTON, Mass. — Police Chief Deanna Strout was recognized last week during the Craneville Elementary School's fifth grade Drug Abuse Resistance Education program graduation. 

 

Over the last 24 years, Strout has been dedicated to helping maintain the DARE program in Dalton schools, aiding in fundraising efforts and working as an instructor for the program until last year when Sgt. Tyler Miller took over. 

 

The DARE plaque reads "Presented to Chief Deanna Strout in recognition of your selfless dedication to the students of Central Berkshire and St. Agnes Schools and the DARE program as an instructor since 1999." 

 

Although unable to attend the graduation ceremony, DARE Massachusetts Coordinator Leonard Crossman said in a follow-up that a lot of DARE programs have struggled to keep themselves above water over the past 20 years because of budget cuts and that Strout has been instrumental in keeping the Dalton program going. 

 

"Dalton has been one of those towns that have really weathered the storm and has had really taken on those challenges and recognize the value that the program has and the [of] building police relationships with the community," Crossman said. 

 

Strout said she was not willing to let this program go so helped any way she could through fundraising efforts including a car wash, dee-jaying a middle school dance, and more. 

 

"I did anything I could, like, I got local businesses to sponsor us and if you look on the back of all the DARE shirts, it's all the families and businesses that sponsor the program and they give a donation and it helps pay for the shirts," Strout said. 

 

The state DARE program pays for the books, the department pays for Miller, and the donations from the families pay for the shirts, Strout said. 

 

Building police relationships with the community, especially young children, and providing youth the tools they need to make healthy decisions before they start facing them is immensely important, especially given the drug epidemic that is going on, she said. 

 

Sgt. Larry Higgins chose Strout for DARE training in 1999 to become a certified instructor; she began teaching that school year. 

 

"It's not common that somebody dedicates themselves for that long, you know, 20 years is a career and it's not overly common where somebody continues and dedicates themselves to the development of this type of program or in children in general," Crossman said. 

 

Based on discussions that Crossman has had with Miller it is clear that Strout's connection with the community and the schools go above and beyond what is seen in other communities, he said. 

 

Strout deserves this recognition because of her commitment, dedication, and the fact that "she has been in one way or another, as an officer or as an administrator an influence on so many kids' lives. It's hard to even imagine what that impact is," Crossman said. 

 

Although working as the chief she is unable to teach, she serves the program on an administrative level and her legacy still remains within the program and the people she has taught. 

 

"She laid the groundwork. I'm following in the footsteps she's already laid down as an avid community member, community oriented police officer, and our chief. This is just a program that we continue to follow in her steps and guidance in it," Miller said. 

 

"Just because she's taken a step back and not being the instructor doesn't mean I'm not still checking with her every day about new ideas, new issues that the communities are facing, and how we teach the younger generation about these issues ahead of time." 

 

Over the years that Strout worked as an instructor, she built relationships within the community teaching some of the parents of current students, and even some of her own officers. 

 

"The whole community knows her. Like, if you have a definition of a community-oriented police officer that is Chief Stroud. So, for me to just go into these, the schools are already open to it, the parents are already familiar with the program," Miller said. 

 

"She's taught some of these parents themselves. So, their familiarity with the program is there already and it just makes my job so much easier coming into the schools and just taking over the role."

 

Strout has seen the program evolve. The DARE program started more than 30 years ago with a focus on the dangers of substance use but in the early 2000s the program shifted to an evidence-based curriculum that has proven effective, Crossman said. 

 

Today's DARE focuses its curriculum on the underlying causes of drug use such as bullying, peer pressure, and other problems, he said. 

 

The curriculum continues to evolve based on the level of knowledge of the students and adapting to what is being seen in the Dalton community, Strout said. 

 

"It evolved to making good choices, making good friend choices, stress, peer pressure still, bullying, and social media. We developed in our own curriculum, being safe on social media and online because, for obvious reasons, we kind of went that route a little bit because of what we were seeing," Strout said. 

 

"So, we were adapting to what we were seeing in the community and making our program fit to what we were seeing."

 

This program is important because it not only builds a positive relationship with officers and students but also helps families start conversations on difficult topics and builds education, Strout said.