Article and photo by Roger Lanse

New GCSO DARE vehicle; from left are Undersheriff Jess Watson, Dep. Jade Benavidez, Sheriff Frank Gomez, and Det. Jason Jordan. Sgt. Manny Maldonado, coordinator of the GCSO’s DARE program, was on night shift, so was not available for the photo.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office took ownership of a brand-new 2020 Chevrolet 4x4 pickup to help in their fight against substance abuse. The vehicle will serve dual purposes, according to Sheriff Frank Gomez, as both a patrol vehicle and in their DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. The artwork on the sides of the new vehicle was done by J&J Signs in Silver City.

Gomez explained the DARE program is a 10-week, weekly, presentation beginning in August for the Bayard, Central, San Lorenzo, and Hurley Elementary schools in the Cobre School District; and beginning in January for the Cliff Elementary School, and the Stout, Harrison Schmitt, and Calvary Chapel elementary schools in the Silver City School District, Gomez said they are willing to go to Jose Barrios Elementary School, but have not been invited. The program educates students about the enticements and dangers of drug use using booklets, videos, and power point presentations, and, of course, the DARE lions, Daren and Dora. The weekly lessons in both school districts are presented by GCSO deputies and Silver City Police Department officers. Both agencies are assisted by the New Mexico State Police.

Gomez told the Beat that the Grant County Commissioners agreed this year to allot $7,500 to the GCSO’s DARE program, in addition to the $30,000 given each year by an anonymous donor. These funds help pay for the materials used in the classrooms, salaries for law enforcement personnel, food and prizes provided for graduation ceremonies, T-shirts given to graduates, and vehicle use related to the DARE program.