An Alamance County sheriff’s deputy, sergeant Chad Laws, has been named the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer of the year by the North Carolina D.A.R.E. Officers’ Association.
Laws has been employed with the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office since 2018 and has been a D.A.R.E. officer for the past 20 years. He has taught the program at the elementary, middle, and high school levels within public, independent, and charter schools.
“I have always tried to serve as a positive role model and support my students in and out of the classroom,” Laws said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to continue teaching the D.A.R.E. program, and I look forward to continuing this important work to have a positive effect on the youth in our community.”
For his part, sheriff Terry Johnson expressed pride in Laws’ accomplishment. “I couldn’t be prouder of Sergeant Laws and his commitment to our students in Alamance County. Our children are facing incredible challenges, and the leadership and decision-making skills that they learn from this program have a long-lasting impact on their lives. It is an honor to work with Sergeant Laws and support him and all of our hard working and dedicated D.A.R.E. officers.”
The award was presented Thursday during an annual training conference sponsored by the N.C. D.A.R.E. Officers Association.
D.A.R.E. was launched in 1983 as a substance abuse prevention education program and has been implemented in thousands of schools across the country.
Its mission today is teaching students good decision-making skills to help them lead safe and healthy lives while their vision is a world in which students everywhere are empowered to respect others and choose to lead lives free from violence, substance use, and other dangerous behaviors.
