Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions Announce 24th D.A.R.E. Officer Training Class Graduation
October 2009

27 officers from 12 different agencies, including one officer from Bally Borough, Pennsylvania, were certified as D.A.R.E. Officers.

The Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions will hosted the 24th graduating class of law enforcement officers in the D.A.R.E. program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) on Friday, October 23 at 1.p.m. The ceremony was held at the Public Safety Education and Training Center, 6852 4th St. off Maryland Route 32 in Sykesville..

D.A.R.E.'s Maryland director, Claude Nelson, was recently honored with a lifetime achievement award from former L.A. Police Chief Daryl Gates, who founded D.A.R.E. 26 years ago.

Mr. Nelson alone has taught D.A.R.E. to more than twelve thousand students and parents, and trained more than one thousand police officers for their D.A.R.E. certification. He is one of the original five D.A.R.E. officers in the State of Maryland, and continues to run the statewide program and teach students today.

D.A.R.E. is based, along with the Maryland Community Crime Prevention Institute, at the Police and Correctional Training Commissions, at the Maryland Public Safety Education and Training Center in Sykesville.

The 27 graduates being honored represent 11 local, county, and state law enforcement agencies in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Their successful completion of 80 hours of training now entitles them to join the more than 35,000 officers nationwide who are certified D.A.R.E. instructors.

Claude Nelson receives 2009 Daryl F. Gates Lifetime Achievement Award at the International D.A.R.E. Conference
July 2009

(left to right) D.A.R.E. Founder Chief Daryl Gates, Claude Nelson, Maryland State D.A.R.E. Coordinator and D.A.R.E. America CEO Charlie Parsons

The Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services announced today that Mr. Claude Nelson has been honored with the “2009 Daryl F Gates Lifetime Achievement Award” from D.A.R.E. America for “dedication and outstanding service on behalf of the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program and this nation’s children serving as a model for others.” The award was presented on July 23, 2009 at the 22nd D.A.R.E. International Training Conference in Orlando, Florida.

The award is named after its first recipient and founder of the D.A.R.E. program, former Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates. For the first time since its inception in 1989, retired Chief Gates was on hand to present the award, making this award a truly overwhelming and humble experience, according to Mr. Nelson....MORE

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