Comanche Nation Police Department Highlights D.A.R.E. Program

Comanche Nation Police Officer Mary Greniewicki teaches the D.A.R.E. Program and coordinates Amber Alert.

The D.A.R.E. Program is a 10-week course taught throughout schools.

“I'm currently teaching in Apache,” she said. “I can teach up to 13 schools a year and over a thousand students.”

To teach the D.A.R.E. Program, Griniewicki must undergo 80 hours of training.

“It’s like going to school to become a teacher,” she said.

Griniewicki said she teaches the kids about responsibility.

“Used to be, back in the old days, to teach them not to do drugs. Now, everybody has responsibility,” she said. “Define, assess, respond, evaluate. Define your problem. ‘What is your problem?’ Assess. ‘What are your choices?’ Respond. Make your choice. Evaluate. ‘Did you make a good choice?’”

Griniewicki said students have a Dare Decision Making Model for the D.A.R.E. Program.

“You do that every day, but we're teaching them to slow down and think about what they're going to do,” she said. “So, it is important because everybody has responsibilities, and with those responsibilities comes with consequences, and consequences could be both good and bad.”

There are also lessons in communication because it’s a big deal between people.

Griniewicki teaches students from 5th and 6th grade. 

“I like teaching the 5th and 6th graders because they are more interactive and a lot more fun to mess around with, I guess; pick on,” she said.

Griniewicki’s passion for helping children comes from being a mom.

“I have three kids myself, and kids are important,” she said. “They're our next generation, and just like the tribal kids, they're our next generation, and why not? They're more important than we are, that we need to do stuff for them.”

She teaches at schools that have tribal members. This includes Apache, Elgin, Indiahoma, Grandfiled, Big Pasture, Temple and others in their coverage area; however, Lawton Public Schools has its own D.A.R.E. program.

“I will be finished with the schooling as of May, so I start back up in Geronimo, Indiahoma, and I'll have to figure out which third one I do, and then I'll be starting back up in August,” she said. “But I know Indiahoma is one of the first ones I start every year.”

Griniewicki said reaching out to students as a police officer is important.

“They also need to see that all officers aren't bad, and that we're fun to hang around, and we're goofy as much as they are,” she said.