School is just around the corner for the youths of Great bend and Barton County and this brings with it many changes and one new change is the new liaison officer that is taking over for CPL. Jefferson Davis.
Officer Paul Millard has taken over duties of the new liaison officer on the 1st of July, and he will begin his official duties when school starts.
“This position is very important not only for the schools but for the students as well,” Millard said. “With all the anti-officer stuff that is going around, this position lets the students know we are the good guys and we are here to help them.”
Millard will be able to visit all the schools throughout the day during his regular duties as liaison officer. His office will be located at the high school.
Along with the duties of liaison officer, Millard is also the Drug Abuse Resistance Education coordinator.
“Not only I get to help the schools with being the liaison officer I also get to teach the students about D.A.R.E.,” Millard said. This is a very important position as well. The younger we can teach the students the better it is for them to understand what drugs can do to them and how bad they hurt their family.”

Drug Abuse Resistance Education history

According to D.A.R.E., facing unparalleled drug abuse among youths in the 1970’s and early 1980’s, visionary Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates and the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1983 launched an unprecedented and innovative substance abuse prevention education program – Drug Abuse Resistance Education.
With each passing year, D.A.R.E.’s success was seen in classrooms and homes leading to rapid growth and expansion.
As each decade passed and success increased, the challenges facing children and families also grew.
Today, through the leadership of D.A.R.E.’s dedicated Board of Directors, and the tireless commitment and hard work of tens of thousands of officers and educators throughout America and around the globe, D.A.R.E strives each day to achieve its vital mission and that is to fulfill a vision.