D.A.R.E. comes to Wilmington for state conference

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Dozens of officers and D.A.R.E. representatives are in Wilmington this week for a statewide conference.

D.A.R.E. has become a familiar name all over the country, as law enforcement agencies work hard to educate school kids of all ages. Today, these individuals came together to learn about new tools and techniques to educate kids on the dangers of drugs, alcohol and gangs.

Retro Bill, the national spokesperson for D.A.R.E. is one of the highlight speakers of this week’s conference. He shared personal stories about D.A.R.E.’s impact in kids’ lives.

Retro Bill says one of his biggest tips he has for dare officers is the use of visualization techniques to get D.A.R.E.’s message across.

“We all know we live in a visual world,” he said. “Video games, computers, etc. So visualization. And what we hope is the officers leave with new tools of the trade and you know… good hair tips.”

As part of the conference, D.A.R.E. officers and retro bill also stopped by Belville Elementary. More than a hundred kids took part in Retro Bill’s presentation that had everyone laughing.