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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Cutbacks by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department are affecting a popular school program that teaches kids to stay off drugs and alcohol.

The D.A.R.E. program will be suspended until further notice, but school police are not letting our local students go without drug and alcohol abuse education.

A video produced by Metro explains the $46 million budget shortfall.

"I'm very worried about the budget situation we're faced with and the service level that we provide," Sheriff Doug Gillespie said.

Las Vegas currently has less than the standard officer-per-resident ratio. As a result, the popular D.A.R.E. program was suspended in order to get those officers who teach it back on the streets patrolling.

"When you're looking at budget cuts, nothing is safe," Captain Ken Young with CCSD police said. "The man bread and butter for us is the protection of our citizens, so I understand when the Sheriff is making the decision that he needs more bodies on the streets. We understand that."

But parents in the Vally remain concerned that their children won't get the drug and alcohol abuse education they need. That's why CCSD police are stepping in. They'll be working with the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program to come up with a curriculum like D.A.R.E. and will be using school officers to teach it. 

"We're looking at some of the best practices of D.A.R.E. and some of the things that really worked," Captain Young said. "We're also looking at removing some of the things that didn't work, and adding those things that are specific to us so that we can tailor it to our kids." 

Although the curriculum is still in the early stages, there will most likely be a focus on prescription drug use and marijuana use. Police say those are their biggest areas of concern.