D.A.R.E. has sportier look with new car
HUNTSVILLE — The Scott County Sheriff’s Department’s D.A.R.E. program has a “sportier” look with a new car: A ‘98 Ford Mustang.
Sheriff Anthony Lay unveiled the new car at Friday’s Nancy Swain Watters Memorial Walk, as the car was used to escort walkers along Alberta Street.
The car — the first sport-style D.A.R.E. car to be used at the Sheriff’s Department — was not purchased at the expense of taxpayers, Lay said. The car, originally orange in color, was seized as part of a methamphetamine trafficking investigation by the Sheriff’s Department. Lay said he had a vision to make a D.A.R.E. unit out of the car if the department was awarded the car at a seizure hearing, which happened approximately one year later.
The car was painted black and striped in the colors of the Sheriff’s Department — royal blue and gold — with the red D.A.R.E. emblem.
“Most all sheriff’s and police departments that have a D.A.R.E. program have some sort of out-of-the-ordinary D.A.R.E. car,” Lay said. “Some departments have Hummers, some have Corvettes, et cetera.
“The whole purpose of this car is for our kids in this county,” he added. “The car allows them something to look at and get to play with the lights and siren. It has a sports-style look to it so the kids draw their attention to it quickly.”
Lay said the car can also serve the purpose of the D.A.R.E. program by teaching students a valuable lesson: When you sell drugs, your property can be taken from you.
The new D.A.R.E. unit is equipped with a 5.0-liter engine, standard blue-red lights and a siren. It will be used in special events and regular patrol duties as well as D.A.R.E. program classes.
“This car is less than a thousand dollar expense to the Sheriff’s Department budget,” Lay said. He added that several local businesses — including Custom Greg’s, Marlar & Son, Big Orange Window Tint, Advanced Auto, Norman Blakely and others — contributed to making the car “road-ready,” while Sheriff’s Department Deputy Roger Douglas provided the striping for the car and the Winfield Fire Department allowed use of their facilities to work on the car.
“By these businesses and individuals donating time and money to this project, they have contributed to educating children about drugs,” Lay said. “That education is the best tool ever made to fight drugs.”