Drug, Gang Prevention Program Gets New Name

To reflect a newer and broader curriculum, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has renamed its drug and gang prevention program Success Through Awareness and Resistance or STAR, authorities said Tuesday.

Formerly known as Substance Abuse Narcotics Education or SANE, the youth education program will include instruction in handling peer pressure, decision-making, conflict resolution, anger management, cultural awareness and confidence building, said Lt. Trudy Wilson, STAR unit commander.

“We wanted to put an emphasis on the positive,” Wilson said. “We teach about life skills.”

In additional, the agency plans to expand the program from three to four levels when it resumes in September, Wilson said. The program will be presented to students in the last two grades of elementary school and the first two grades of middle school. The actual grade level will vary depending on individual school districts.

Each year, more than 80,000 schoolchildren receive instruction from STAR deputies assigned to 360 schools in Los Angeles and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, Wilson said.

Two deputies assigned to the unit also teach high school students about the dangers and consequences of exposing unborn babies to harmful substances, Wilson said. The program, “Drugs, Pregnancy and You,” is presented in conjunction with health-care professionals.

STAR deputies regularly appear before church and business groups, community service organizations and at public events.