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Help revs DARE's engine

Article & photo by Kimberly Brothers-Caisse, Clinton Item News Staff

CLINTON - When the Clinton DARE care begins causing trouble on the road, Officer John Moran knows who to call for backup.

So there was no question when the engine of the 1983 Chevy Cavalier station blew up on I-495 one day last summer that Moran would call Lorne Almeida of Clinton's Guaranty Auto to help him out.

Moran said he was returning from a DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) summer camp in Plymouth County.  Stranded on the side of the road, he used the car's cellular phone to call Guaranty.  Almeida, the station's owner, responded with a wrecker to tow the vehicle back to Clinton.

At the station, the two discussed what to do with the car, Moran said.  Almeida decided he would make some phone calls to local businesses to see if they could get parts to fix it.

Berlin Auto Parts Inc. agreed to donate a used engine; NAPA Auto Parts in Clinton said it would donate a new clutch assembly and gaskets; Clinton Auto Sales gave a radiator; and Christie & Thompson Auto Parts Inc. of Clinton contributed an oil sending unit, thermostats, new belts and a gasket, Moran said.  Almeida and other members of the Guaranty Auto crew donated their time to install all the parts.

Guaranty Auto usually does maintenance work on Clinton Police Department vehicles.

"Without the cooperation of Lorne or the other people in town, we wouldn't have a DARE car," Moran said.

The car, painted black with the red DARE emblem and other information about public safety all over it, serves as a symbol to the students the program targets, Moran said.

In addition to teaching youngsters about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, DARE informs them about personal safety and how to make healthy choices later in their lives.

The DARE message is why the business owners donated parts and labor towards the fixing of the car, Almeida said.  And it's a cause the town should become more involved in.

"Because drugs affect all of us," he said.  "It's a very important program and the kids are a good place to start."

Even though the DARE car is up and running again, its working days are numbered, Almeida siad, adding this would be a good time for the townspeople to get involved in DARE and get Clinton Police a more reliable DARE car.

The Cavalier was confiscated several years ago by the Middle District Drug Task Force and turned over to the police department, Moran said.  It had been used in the selling of cocaine. 

"I can't complain about the car," he said.  "It's done me well, but it's getting tired."

Money provided to the DARE program mostly comes from state and federal grants and private donations.  There is little money available for Clinton Police to buy a used car for Moran to use when he is doing DARE acitivities, he said.

For more information about helping Clinton DARE get a better car, call Moran at the station during the day.