With new designer drugs like Ecstasy increasing in popularity among adolescents, the work of Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Specialists (SAPIS) in the public schools is more important than ever.

But the Board of Education wastes vital resources by paying Police Officers to do the same work.

The SAPIS are certified under New York State mental health laws to work with schoolchildren. "Most of us have approximately 20 years of experience counseling students about the dangers of drugs," said Local 372 member Ben Casillas, a SAPIS 4 who works in East Harlem.

As many as 100 uniformed Police Officers also visit elementary schools and encourage children to say no to drugs. The Police Officers are part of the school-based Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program (DARE), which has been proven by research data to be costly and ineffective.

"The Police Officers just don't have the kind of training and experience that we do," explained Mr. Casillas. While SAPIS employees work with the entire student body, from kids in kindergarten to high school seniors, the DARE officers only work with students in the fifth and sixth grades. They usually arrive at the school before classes start and end their day before classes are over. SAPIS also make frequent home visits and go on field trips during the summer. Police Officers however, are routinely called away from the school for special assignments and emergencies.

According to Mr. Casillas, after Sept. 11, the officers did not return to the schools until November. What they did was surely important, "But the consistency was not there," said Casillas. "In our job building a relationship with the students is key. That's our job."

SAPIS employees spend more time with the students than Police Officers, and they do the job for less money. The average annual salary of a Police Officer is $52,260 after five years of service. The average annual salary of a SAPIS counselor is $26,622.

Civilianizing the DARE program would increase public safety by putting Police Officers back on police duty. And according to the union's cost analysis, replacing 100 5-year Police Officers with 100 SAPIS would save $3,340,500.

— Alfredo Alvarado