Tracy Darbonne

Click the image above to watch the KPLC news video

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) – A Calcasieu Parish deputy is being recognized in a big way after spending the last two decades mentoring young adults as part of the D.A.R.E. program.

“It is unbelievable, you know, I’ve done this for some many years and acknowledged so many people and to be acknowledged after 28 years, it’s just wonderful,” said Capt. Tracy Darbonne.

Capt. Darbonne was recently honored with the Louisiana’s 2022 D.A.R.E. Lifetime Achievement Award.

“It’s probably one of the greatest accomplishments I’ve done in my career. Just thinking about all the students, the thousands of students that I’ve taught over the years, but you know if you could reach some of the students then that’s all that matters,” Darbonne said.

She says her inspiration comes from humble beginnings with memories of one of her favorite movies.

“When I was younger, my interest came from the CHiPS movie – I’m not sure if everybody knows CHiPS. And then after I started teaching D.A.R.E., I was able to meet Poncherelli, which was one of the guys from CHiPS, so that was just unbelievable,” she said. “They were motorcycle cops.”

Darbonne supervises all youth and D.A.R.E. officers and is responsible for teaching all the schools in Calcasieu Parish.

“The program is for 10 weeks, so we have to divide all of the schools up between the D.A.R.E. officers. We have 10 D.A.R.E officers and they teach the harmful effects of drugs, how to handle bullying, stress, peer pressure, so a lot of people think the D.A.R.E. program is just teaching the kids about drugs, but it’s so much more than that, it’s about life skills actually,” she said.

And the students are not the only ones she inspires, Darbonne’s daughter has also followed her mom’s path, and is currently a lieutenant at the sheriff’s office.

“Very, very proud of her, now I have big shoes to fill just trying to follow in her footsteps,” her daughter Brianni Phelps said.

“She always says, ‘mom it’s okay, don’t stress, its gonna happen,’ so definitely that has helped me,” Darbonne said.

“And what I learned from my mother is to treat everybody like family and to be a leader not a boss, and when you’re in a supervisor position to always have the motto of ‘do as I do and not do as I say,’” Phelps said.

The D.A.R.E. program will begin after the Labor Day holiday. Darbonne said you can always reach out to her by calling the Calcasieu Sheriff’s Office.

Award Nominations for the 2024 D.A.R.E. Awards

Award Nominations for the 2024 D.A.R.E. Awards

D.A.R.E. America is accepting nominations for the 2024 Awards:

  • Daryl F. Gates D.A.R.E. Lifetime Achievement, 
  • D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year, and
  • D.A.R.E. Educator of the Year.

Recipients of these prestigious awards…

York County Sheriff Captain Marks 20th Year of D.A.R.E. Education

York County Sheriff Captain Marks 20th Year of D.A.R.E. Education

YORK — York County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Josh Gillespie has marked the completion of his 20th year as York County D.A.R.E. instructor. D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. But today’s D.A.R.E. program also addresses critical risks kids face, besides...

Bellevue, KY Police D.A.R.E. Vehicle Hits the Road!

Bellevue, KY Police D.A.R.E. Vehicle Hits the Road!

The Bellevue (KY) Police Department’s D.A.R.E. Program is continuing to grow and has debuted their new patrol vehicle! The photo includes D.A.R.E. elementary school graduates from the Holy Trinity School along with the current middle school class and staff including...

Eighty Students Participate in the Kindergarten D.A.R.E. Program!

Eighty Students Participate in the Kindergarten D.A.R.E. Program!

Their D.A.R.E. Officer visited eighty Kindergarten students at Perry Hall on October 25, 2023 to talk about safety and good decision-making. The D.A.R.E. program has been taught in the Baltimore County schools for more than 30 years. Children in elementary, middle,…

2023 D.A.R.E. Awards Recipients

2023 D.A.R.E. Awards Recipients

CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO FOR D.A.R.E. AND THE CHILDREN YOU IMPACT
2023 D.A.R.E. America National ‘Louis Skip Miller’ Scholarship Awardee: Lily Ljiljanich, New York D.A.R.E. Youth Advocacy Board Member. Lily Ljiljanich joined the Youth Advocacy Board as a…

Copyright © 2022 D.A.R.E. America. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2022 D.A.R.E. America.
All Rights Reserved.