The Atchison Police Department presented the DARE program to the 5th grade students for twenty years. In 2010 the department discontinued the program to begin a new program called UP.
Corporal Josh Sinclair created this acronym for the phrase, Understanding Problems, which focuses on issues that youth face. Corporal Sinclair has five lesson plans that are presented to several hundred 5th grade students each year. Each lesson plan is an hour in length and is presented over a five week period. The curriculum covers health risk of tobacco usage, alcohol and drugs, social media awareness, bullying, and dealing with daily situations.
The UP program is one of many initiatives the Police Department has undertaken that creates a positive interaction between officers and students.