Challenges in implementing school-based drug prevention programs led by law enforcement officers.

This article examines the challenges faced by law enforcement officers (LEOs) in delivering school-based drug prevention programs in São Paulo, Brazil, specifically the Brazilian adaptation of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Keepin' it REAL (KiR) curriculum, known as PROERD. Through qualitative interviews with 31 LEOs and focus groups with 80 fifth-grade students, the study identifies key obstacles including institutional devaluation of LEOs’ preventive roles within police corporations, limited resources (such as lack of multimedia equipment), resistance from some school staff influenced by political and historical perceptions, and mixed student reactions—more positive among younger students and more negative among seventh graders due to prior negative experiences with police and local cultural factors. Additionally, LEOs’ street-level policing experiences shape their delivery of program content, often leading to adaptations that affect fidelity to the original curriculum. The findings highlight the need for alternative delivery approaches and enhanced training for LEOs to better align with evidence-based practices and improve program effectiveness.