When Cpl. Tonya McWhirter started working as a D.A.R.E. officer more than two decades ago, she didn’t do it for the awards or the recognition. She just wanted to give students a chance she never had when she was a kid.
“Growing up, there was nobody to make that connection with, and I wanted to be different,” McWhirter said. “I wanted to make that connection. And I wanted those kids to see past the badge and see past the gun. That underneath all of this, there is a heart.”
But on July 29, McWhirter was recognized for her years of service when she was named the National D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year at the 36th International D.A.R.E. Training Conference in Orlando, Florida. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program is an international program where police officers go into classrooms to teach students skills to avoid getting involved in drugs, gangs or other criminal activity.
McWhirter did not always know she wanted to be a police officer. But as she was growing up in the Starkville area, she knew she wanted to do something in the legal field, since she had a turbulent home life due to domestic violence and her parents’ divorce.
“I wanted to be the exact opposite of what I saw in my household at the time,” McWhirter said.
After spending part of her teen years in Naples, Florida, McWhirter returned to Mississippi to go to college. McWhirter attended Delta State for two years, where her future husband was also a student, studying criminal justice and working on a task force in the Delta. His job gave McWhirter a “sneak peek” into working in law enforcement, inspiring her to pursue it.
McWhirter finished her degree in social work with an emphasis on corrections at Mississippi State University before getting her first job in law enforcement at MSU PD, where she worked for six months.
In 2000, McWhirter joined the Louisville Police Department, becoming the department’s first female officer. There, LPD Capt. Gerald Hayes asked her if she had ever thought about going through D.A.R.E. officer training, changing the course of her career.
After going through training, McWhirter got into a classroom with students for the first time. As a part of her first lesson, McWhirter used a D.A.R.E. box, allowing the 10-year-old students to turn in questions they wanted to ask her anonymously.
But when McWhirter opened one of the questions, things became more serious. The question was about committing suicide.
McWhirter said she did not read the question out loud, instead bringing it to the teacher so the school could identify which student had written it and offer them further help. But the incident pushed McWhirter further on, she said, as she could relate to that struggling student.
“That was a huge eye opener for me,” McWhirter said. “It’s also pretty sad to think, too, because I wasn’t as young as that individual, but I actually considered suicide myself.”
McWhirter said she became more passionate about the program after that incident. In 2007, when McWhirter got a call from the state coordinator asking if she would become a D.A.R.E. mentor, she accepted. Ever since, she has worked with various state training centers to help spread the program across Mississippi and Alabama.
Over time, McWhirter said, she has watched D.A.R.E. evolve from its “Just Say No” campaign into more comprehensive lessons about decision making. The program now addresses drug facts, but also peer pressure, bullying, risks and consequences and more.
While working with Louisville Police Department, McWhirter said, she brought the D.A.R.E. program to Winston County Schools, reaching about 300 students at the most in one year. In 2016, McWhirter was named Mississippi’s D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year for her work there.
But in 2021, McWhirter joined SPD, after getting a call from Chief Mark Ballard, asking if she would help expand the D.A.R.E. program in Starkville.
This year, McWhirter said, she has expanded the program to include Pre-K, along with lessons for elementary and middle school students. She visits the Oktibbeha County Head Start Center, Emerson Family School, Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary School, Overstreet School and Starkville Academy. In the past year, she said, she reached about 1,600 students.
“Corporal McWhirter’s recognition as the National D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year is a well-deserved honor that reflects her longtime passion and dedication to the D.A.R.E. program,” Chief Mark Ballard said in an Aug. 8 press release. “Her innovative approach and commitment to the program’s evolution ensure that our students are equipped with the skills they need to make positive decisions and lead healthy lives.”
In the future, McWhirter said, she hopes to also expand the program to high schools in the area, as well as offering some of D.A.R.E.’s community training to the public.
McWhirter said she is grateful to others for getting her where she is in her career, including her family members, school officials, teachers, other officers, Ballard, and more.
“I’m just really thankful that I’ve had this opportunity,” McWhirter said. “It’s very rewarding to be recognized for such a prestigious award. I never thought I would be, but I never set out to be, if that makes sense. I just did it because I love it. I love it.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 29 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
