In The NewsLocal Police Crusade Against Teen Drinking
Originally printed in The Westerly Sun
Tuesday, February 17, 2009WESTERLY - In this category, being number two isn't something to be proud of: Westerly has the second highest rate of underage drinking in Rhode Island, as reported by kids themselves.
It's a problem, but not one the Westerly Police Department and Westerly Substance Abuse Task Force has shied away from.
"We're being proactive with parent forums, billboards and TV commercials, but we're also very involved in serious enforcement of underage drinking laws," said WSATF coordinator Mary Lou Serra.
The drinking age is 21 in Rhode Island.
As part of the task force's recently awarded state and federal underage drinking prevention grant, it and the WPD began a campaign against underage drinking last summer with education, prevention tactics and aggressive enforcement of local and state laws.
Since July of 2008, with police conducting the street operations and the WSATF providing funding and support, more than 80 individuals - a large number underage - have been arrested, nearly all on alcohol-related charges.
"We provide the money and the police do their job, and by these numbers it's pretty clear that we need to keep up the work so we can make a difference in this town when it comes to kids and drinking," Serra said.
According to Westerly Police Chief Edward A. Mello, during the course of "party patrols," conducted at residences, school events, parking lots, the beach and other areas, 68 people were charged with alcohol-related crimes and violations. And, Mello said, during the course of those patrols, officers have made a number of arrests for other crimes, including reckless driving, drug possession and drug dealing.
Mello said the department is currently preparing an undercover operation targeting establishments that sell liquor to underage kids.
"Sending a clear message that we intend on not just enforcing the laws, but will continue to be proactive to assist in prevention ... to prevent potential tragedies," said Mello.
He pointed to national highway and safety statistics that report, on average, eight teens die in the U.S. every day in alcohol-related car crashes, and nine out of 10 teen car accidents involved alcohol use. Not surprisingly, since alcohol is the most common - and accessible - drug used among teens, the average age when kids say they first tried alcohol is 12.
But perhaps not surprisingly, only 10 percent of parents of 16-year-olds believe their kids have ever been drunk.
In recent years, there were a number of high-profile underage drinking arrests, incidents and criminal prosecutions. One such event involved student athletes, and that incident helped propel the very active and committed Varsity Athletes Against Substance Abuse group at Westerly High School.
Serra said she believes it's important to "get in front of this problem, before a young person gets hurt, or worse."
New to the WSATF, but not new to working with young people, is WPD's Lt. Shawn Lacey, the town's first DARE officer, who has joined the Westerly Substance Abuse Task Force as the police department liaison. Lacey said he "looks forward to working with the task force and the community on the problems we have related to underage drinking and drug use by our young people."
"We all have the same goal: to keep our kids safe, healthy and making good choices," Lacey, a father of three, said.
The 2007 School Accountability for Learning and Teaching student survey had young people reporting their surprisingly high use of alcohol and other illegal substances. A surprising 25 percent of eighth graders, 40 percent of 10th graders and 61 percent of seniors reported drinking in the SALT survey.
WSATF-funded "party patrols" are aimed at parties where underage people are consuming alcohol, a fairly common occurrence not just in Westerly, but in towns across the nation. This particular program focuses on parties that have come to the attention of the police, especially during the summer months when the number of young people in the community and at area beaches doubles.
The project dedicates several police officers, many undercover, to geographic hotspots throughout the community. Because of the increase in population due to tourists during the summer, the compliance check program requires the addition of 12 police patrol units on special assignment targeting underage drinking at local and beach-area establishments.
"We're going to keep doing what it takes to combat this problem, one where cultural and social norms run counter to our cause," Mello said. "We have work to do to keep teens and others safe."
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration provides substance abuse prevention grant funding, dubbed the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG).