CORPORAL TAKES ON DARING TASK

For Cpl. Matt Gregory, the D.A.R.E. program is a chance to deal with
problems before they happen.

Gregory, 32, is in his first year as a Branson D.A.R.E. officer. The Drug
Abuse Resistance Education program teaches fifth-graders how to avoid drugs
and violence and make other wise life decisions.

"This is a proactive program," Gregory said. "You get to them beforehand,
then you don't have to deal with them when they are 15 and getting caught
with dope in school."

D.A.R.E. is a 10-week program in which Gregory and long-time Branson
D.A.R.E. officer Bryan Miller teach life skills to fifth-graders, who then
attend a graduation in February.

Miller also teaches classes to Kirbyville Elementary School students.
Although the focus is on fifth grade, the officers also teach brief,
introductory classes to the younger grade levels.

Gregory said that being a D.A.R.E. officer is not easy work, although
working with students is often more enjoyable than his other duties.

"It's nice to deal with people when they are not mad at you," he said.
"When you encounter the victim of a crime, or the perpetrator, they are in
a bad mood."

Gregory started at the Branson Police Department in 1994, but left in 1998
to work at the Farmington Police Department. There, he first became a
D.A.R.E. officer and school resource officer. He and his wife, Holly,
returned to Branson in 2001 and Gregory returned to the police department
in 2003.

Gregory said he is enjoying his work with Miller, who this summer was named
Missouri's D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year. He said the two were friends when
they attended College of the Ozarks together in the early 1990s.

"We have a lot of fun," Gregory said. "We pick on each other a lot, but
it's all in fun. (Miller's) a heck of a guy. I don't have to pick up his
slack, but we help each other."