Lieutenant Antoine Palmer of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office was named the 2026 Kentucky DARE Officer of the Year. The award was presented at Great Crossing High School in Georgetown.

DARE Program Impact

Palmer has served as the DARE officer at Crawford Middle School for three years, teaching around 100 eighth-grade students in the program. He was recognized for the positive impact he has made on his students.

According to Caleb Brill, president of the Kentucky D.A.R.E. Association, ‘Lieutenant Palmer consistently shows up for his students on their level. His enthusiasm to model leadership to the students at his school has led to a visible improvement in their decision-making skills. He is a role model for all DARE Officers.’

The DARE program, which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, aims to give students the tools to resist bullying and peer pressure, and to help them strengthen their decision-making skills.

Original reporting: WTVQ (Lexington) — read the source article.