When the use of illegal drugs first exploded on college campuses in the late 1960s and ultimately became a part of the fabric of pop culture in the United States, fears about the possible effect of this phenomenon on adolescents and society as a whole began to consume the public. One of the most widespread and promising initiatives to emerge in the early 1980s was the Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education program (DARE), which was initiated in 1983 by members of the law enforcement community and supported financially and politically by the federal government. As the program permeated schools in the 1990s, questions about the effectiveness of DARE in making a difference in the "war on drugs" and an ongoing debate ensued about the program's effectiveness, the use of government revenue, and the amount of law enforcement time needed to deliver DARE, particularly if it didn't make a significant dent in drug abuse. This article discusses a unique curriculum development partnership between school districts and the law enforcement community of Niles, Illinois that resulted a program more in tune with actual needs of students today: Safety Awareness for Everyone (SAFE). SAFE adds relevance and depth to the curriculum and increases the police department's level of contact with students and faculty members. Relationships are nurtured between students and law enforcement when the students are young and can grow all the way through high school.