It seems to be a known fact among law enforcement. If a suspect is wearing a D.A.R.E t-shirt, they are probably holding drugs or other contraband.

Meet 35-year old Michelle Ochoa who was recently arrested after a traffic stop in Jim Wells County.  She was a passenger in the vehicle and when asked, Ochoa volunteered that she "had warrants" in a neighboring county.

Photo: Jim Wells County Sheriff's Department
Photo: Jim Wells County Sheriff's Department
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A routine check found that she did, indeed, have warrants for failure to appear in court on a narcotics possession charge. Further, police found Xanax in her bag that she did not have a prescription for.  The other occupant in the vehicle reportedly told police Ochoa "had narcotics concealed on her person", but a search found nothing.

She obviously needs better friends.  A search of the vehicle did turn up a small amount of cocaine, a scale and "several unused plastic baggies."

The D.A.R.E program was launched in 1983 as a comprehensive k-12 prevention education program taught in schools all over the U.S. and worldwide.  The purpose of the program taught by highly trained law enforcement officers, was to use a science/evidence-based curricula to teach students good decision-making skills that could help keep them safe and healthy and cope with high risk circumstances including drugs, alcohol, violence, bullying and internet safety.

Photo: Amazon
Photo: Amazon
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Original public service announcements used the D.A.R.E theme to encourage those who deal with children to "Dare to Keep Kids off drugs".

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It is ironic, then, that it is commonly believed and often shown to be true, that people wearing D.A.R.E shirts are often guilty of possessing illegal substances. There are lots of Reddit stories about it.

Is there a lesson in this? Of course. There are far too many to go into here.  Suffice it to say, it's a great idea to do more than just wear a t-shirt.  It might be a great idea to listen to the message behind it.

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