Community policing and Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) are evolving initiatives that can respond to changing social problems and demands. However, many of the challenges faced by both programs arise out of the fundamentals of human nature. Among the greatest barriers to overcome are: (1) the resistance to change that affects law enforcement and communities alike; (2) the desire to see successes in the short term when change requires a long-term goal of resocialization; (3) the natural human tendency to settle for the status quo rather than risk change; (4) the unwillingness to recognize that even in failure, knowledge is gained--knowledge that includes insight on how to modify an initiative to ultimately achieve success; and (5) the lack of sincere commitment to invest effort, resources, and patience in a nontraditional venture. In philosophy and practice, D.A.R.E. complements the tenets of a community-based approach to policing. Together, building on the ideas of partnership, open communication, reciprocal education, and mutual respect, community policing and D.A.R.E. can improve the quality of life in the United States' communities. (Contains 14 references.) (TS)