Former New York DARE Officer Pleads Guilty to Selling Drugs While in Uniform and Driving a Patrol Car

Michael Tapscott, a former New York State Police officer who served in the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, has pleaded guilty to 40 drug-related charges in Ontario County court. Tapscott resigned from the Geneva Police Department last year following accusations that he sold Adderall—a Schedule II controlled substance—to buyers at a car dealership while on duty and inside a patrol car. The 13-year veteran officer was previously a DARE instructor, a program whose mission is to keep children away from drugs. The investigation began in April 2025 when authorities received a tip about an officer in uniform selling drugs. Three other former officers were also indicted alongside Tapscott.

This incident strikes at the heart of the crisis of trust in American policing – when the very person tasked with teaching children to avoid drugs becomes a trafficker himself. Michael Tapscott was not just an ordinary officer. He was a DARE instructor, a program that was present in most American schools since the 1980s, where uniformed officers lectured classes on the dangers of drugs. Yet, Tapscott himself sold Adderall – a stimulant often abused by young people – even while on duty.

Even more concerning: this is not an isolated case. Three other Geneva officers were also implicated, including a sergeant. This points to a systematic network of corruption within the force, where officers freely bought and sold drugs among themselves and to civilians, both on-duty and off-duty. The Ontario County Sheriff confirmed that Tapscott 'solicited' colleagues and civilians for drug transactions.

The DARE program has long been criticized for its ineffectiveness – many studies show it did not reduce drug use rates among children. But the Tapscott case raises another question: should police officers be teaching ethics when the system itself is rife with corruption? Many counties in the U.S. have discontinued DARE, opting instead for health professionals or teachers to lead these programs.

Tapscott's sentence – 16 weekends in jail and 5 years of probation – is considered too lenient for 40 charges. If an ordinary civilian, especially a person of color, were arrested with the same number of drug charges, they would face years in prison. This is the clearest proof of 'blue privilege' – police privilege – within the American justice system.