D.A.R.E. officers from across the U.S. in N.J. for training

Officials and officers from more than a dozen states are taking part in the training.

BRIDGEWATER - Branchburg Police Department Officer Kate Procia, a member of the state's Drug Abuse Resistance Education - also known as D.A.R.E - smiled when she heard the question.

What is one of the biggest misconception kids have when you speak to them during the D.A.R.E. program?

"I tell them we all don't eat donuts," she said.

Procia is one of four New Jersey D.A.R.E. officers and another 16 from across the country who are gathering at the Somerville Elks Lodge 1068 this week for the D.A.R.E. Mentor Officer Training.

The lodge's Charitable Trust Drug Awareness Committee donated $4,000 to support the event.

Officer Joseph Grasso of Warren Township, Officer Matthew Tarentino of Summit and Officer Kyle Witty of Bergenfield are the other officers in training. Officers from Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Nebraska, New York, South Carolina and Virginia are also in attendance.

The training, which included officials from Louisiana, New York, Tennessee, Indiana and Wisconsin, ends Friday.

"It's called a mentor training, but it's actually a training of the trainers," said Bobby Robinson, who ran the training session and is director of the Louisiana D.A.R.E. Training Center. "The people we're training are going to go back to their states do to the training course."

The growing heroin and opioid epidemic that is overtaking the country has sparked a renewed interest in D.A.R.E., which is directed towards students from the fifth grade through the eighth grade.

Critics have argued that the program is ineffective because its target range of kids is too young. Robinson disagrees.

"We feel that by reaching kids before they experiment with drugs is much better than waiting for the period with experimentation begins," said Robinson. "It's about teaching decision-making and thinking through decisions and the possible consequences.

"Our program teaches kids that it doesn't matter if its drugs, gangs, stealing or any other negative behavior, making a good decisions apply to everything."

Witty, who has been a D.A.R.E officer for six years, said having positive interaction with the kids when they're young is a huge plus. It "humanizes" the relationship between the police and the community. He said it's been rewarding to see kids grow as they move through the program. He said they're always eager to share their stories of making good decisions.

The training, Witty said, has been extremely beneficial.

"Sometimes you think you know it all but it's been really awesome working with peers from different areas of the country," he said. "You can see what works for them and incorporate some of their ideas into what you do.

"I feel like I'm going to be a much better teacher. It's been an eye-opening experience."

All 21 counties in New Jersey have D.A.R.E. programs. "We have the worst drug problem this country has ever seen, especially in this area," said Ocean County Undersheriff Rick Bergquist, who is a former Brick Township chief of police and president of the board for Drug Advocacy and Drug Education in New Jersey. "We can give the kids the tools but we have to reinforce it."

Robinson, who has been working with D.A.R.E. since 1990 out of Lake Charles, Louisiana, said the week has been a success.

"I think the officers will be leaving here with a renewed excitement about the program and delivering it to other officers, which is the goal," he said.

Nearly 1,600 people died of drug overdoses in New Jersey in 2015 - two times the national rate and a 22-percent increase from the year prior. The State Police said Thursday that they didn't have statistics from 2016 immediately available.