Law Enforcement, Community Groups Educated and Empowered on Preventing Underage Drinking Parties

State and Community Partner, Offer Training Aimed to Curb Underage Drinking in Saratoga County

ALBANY, NY (05/20/2010)(readMedia)-- State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Commissioner Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo and Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy today announced a training for Saratoga County law enforcement including college public safety, park police, local and state police, prevention providers, and community leaders, and emphasized the importance of preventing underage drinking and dispersing underage drinking parties.

The full-day training session links the importance of community involvement with the leadership of law enforcement to effectively prevent and disperse underage drinking gatherings. The training will engage law enforcement on modern, evidence-based enforcement and prevention techniques and offer them the opportunity to interact with local high school and college students in the dispersal of a "mock" underage drinking party. With prom, graduation and summer concert season upon us, the timing of the training is critical to ensuring New York youth stay safe and alcohol-free.

Governor David A. Paterson said, "Underage drinking is illegal, dangerous, and may even pose life-threatening consequences. I encourage all parents and community leaders across the state to work together to help youth make healthy choices in life."

"The reality of underage drinking in New York and throughout the nation is alarming and must be addressed," said Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo. "We must educate and empower the teens, families and communities on preventing underage drinking. This training geared toward Saratoga County law enforcement and community groups is an example of the state's and community's dedication to better preventing underage drinking and safely and effectively disbanding the drinking parties. By working together, we can prevent our young children from the dangers of drinking and ultimately, save their lives."

Here are the Facts:

• Nearly 29 percent of Saratoga County's 7th-12th grade students reported having used alcohol in the past 30 days.

• Twenty percent of Saratoga County's 7th-12th grade students reported having engaged in binge drinking (having 5 or more consecutive drinks) in the past two weeks.

• Nearly 34 percent of Saratoga County's 11th and 12th graders reported engaging in binge drinking - that's one in three.

"Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo is bringing party patrol training and methods to prevent underage drinking resources to the Capital Region and Saratoga County because she knows the devastating consequences that underage drinking can bring," said Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy. "We have seen cases of death and serious injury due to use of alcohol by minors. This cutting edge training is a great opportunity to bring the latest techniques and technology to our partners in law enforcement. I am proud to stand with Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo to combat underage drinking. If we can save lives through education and underage drinking prevention training then we are making headway. We need to be vigilant about prevention, education and thoughtful prosecution."

This is the Capital Region's second free party patrol training; the first, last spring, focused on home and dormitory settings. This year, OASAS has partnered with the Prevention Council of Saratoga County; New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; New York State Park Police; Spa State Park; and other law enforcement agencies to offer training designed to address and curb underage drinking in a more public, outdoor setting. Funding for the training is provided by a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and administered through OASAS. Since 2006, OASAS has conducted similar training sessions throughout New York, reaching more than 900 law enforcement and prevention professionals.

"In this time of law enforcement cutbacks, it's so important to maximize the police's ability to prevent underage drinking, which can have such tragic consequences," said Prevention Council Executive Director Judy Ekman. "In advance of the summer concert season, Saratoga Spa State Park is a natural location to host the training, since its sprawling, wooded grounds share many of the features that make any teenage party in the woods logistically complicated: the outdoor setting makes both containment and dispersal difficult to accomplish."

The OASAS 2008 Youth Development Survey of 92,000 students indicated that half, or 49 percent, of high school seniors admitted to drinking alcohol in the past 30 days - that's more than 100,000 seniors drinking - and most are getting the alcohol from someone they know and drinking at home or a friend's house. The survey also showed 31 percent of seniors reported at least one episode of binge drinking during the past two weeks (consumption of five or more drinks at one time).

Parents remain the number one influence in their children's lives. By knowing the facts about alcohol, setting clear "no-use" rules, and establishing an open and honest relationship, parents can help teens make the right decision not to drink. Parents should monitor their liquor and medicine cabinets, be aware of what their children are doing and who their friends are, set times they are expected home, and know the signs of alcohol use and abuse.

"We know that kids start drinking alcohol as early as 13 years old, and that of the 7th and 8th graders who drank in the past year, 37 percent obtained the alcohol from their own homes," added Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo. "One out of 3 New York youth has tried alcohol, but parents can be a secret weapon in keeping kids alcohol-free. Youth are less likely to drink if parents set boundaries, voice alcohol- and drug-free expectations and communicate a disproval of underage drinking. Remember the phrase, "It's 10:00 PM...Do you know where your children are?" coined in 1969, well it still applies."

The problem of underage drinking in New York is widespread, resulting in costly and tragic health, social and economic difficulties including youth violence, traffic accidents, injury, teen pregnancy, and premature death. In 2007, underage drinking cost the citizens of New York $3.5 billion. OASAS continues to promote its nationally-recognized Underage Drinking: Not a Minor Problem Media Campaign which includes helpful information for parents, as well as beer, liquor and wine retailers. OASAS is currently developing a campaign to target the parents of middle and high school age youth emphasizing the importance of open and honest dialogue surrounding underage alcohol use. To report underage alcohol sales or an underage drinking party, individuals can call 1-866-under21.

The Party Patrol trainers from the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) include: R. J. Elrick, Law Enforcement Consultant, and Chief Eddie Edwards of the New Hampshire Liquor Enforcement Bureau. Saratoga County District Attorney Jim Murphy and Daniel Haughney, Senior Investigator with the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles Field Investigation Division, will speak to the participants in the afternoon session. Following the classroom training, local teens will stage mock parties on the grounds of the Saratoga Spa State Park next to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where police personnel can safely and successfully apply the dispersal techniques they learned earlier in the day.

OASAS oversees one of the nation's largest addiction services systems dedicated to Prevention, Treatment and Recovery, with more than 1,550 programs serving over 110,000 New Yorkers on any given day. Through efforts such as the Your Story Matters campaign at www.iamrecovery.com, the agency hopes to foster a movement of recovery, one that sheds the stigma and promotes a life of health and wellness.

Addiction is a chronic disease, but New Yorkers need to know that help and hope is available. Individuals can get help by calling the state's toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day a week HOPEline, 1-877-8-HOPENY, staffed by trained clinicians ready to answer questions, help refer loved ones to treatment and provide other vital resources to facilitate that first step into recovery.

For more information, please visit www.oasas.state.ny.us.

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