Youth Relations Bureau Deputies

The Collier County Sheriff's Office Youth Relations Bureau is part of the Youth and Protective Services Division. Deputies assigned to the bureau are all volunteers who have applied to work in the bureau. Before being accepted they must first pass a written examination and then appear before an oral board consisting of senior officers and citizens. Only after successfully completing this process can a deputy become a part of YRD. This process is necessarily detailed due to the importance placed on the position of working with and teaching our community's children.

One of the most successful of the bureau's programs is the Junior Deputy Program. This proactive program is designed to give fourth and fifth grade students a basic understanding of the law and to get to know local law enforcement officers. The DARE program was adopted in 1992 and was incorporated into the Junior Deputy Program as the fifth grade component.

All DARE instructors are selected from the Youth Relations Deputies. These selections are made based on the current need for additional DARE instructors and the availability of the deputy to be away from his or her assigned school to teach the DARE program. Based on their acceptance into YRD, all deputies in the bureau are pre-qualified to become DARE certified instructors.

After having been selected to become a DARE certified instructor, the deputy must attend a very intensive two week school through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The need for organization and preparation are stressed in this school. Classroom management, instructional philosophy and teaching techniques are taught, as is the DARE lesson plan. Only after successful completion of this school can a deputy teach the DARE curriculum.

After completion of the DARE instructors course, the deputy must teach two semesters of the DARE curriculum in order to become fully certified. During this time, the deputy is evaluated by the classroom teacher and the regional DARE coordinator. Through this process, the deputy becomes fully qualified to teach in the classroom. College credit hours can be earned by the deputy for completion of the DARE instructors course.

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at dennisperry@sprintmail.com