Party Patrol Kits for Cumberland County Cops

The Cumberland County Underage Drinking Enforcement Task Force held a press conference on Wednesday, May 19, 10:00 Portland Police Auditorium to announce the release of their 2010 Party Patrol Kits.

The press conference was to highlight law enforcement efforts in our communities to keep youth drug and alcohol free. The fact that representatives from every law enforcement agency throughout Cumberland County attended demonstrates their commitment to enforcing underage drinking laws.

The intention of these kits is to aid law enforcement response to the scene of an underage drinking party, and help them to investigate the source of the alcohol and who was in control of the property. The real crime is furnishing alcohol to minors or furnishing a place for minors to consume alcohol. Yes, we want youth to face age-appropriate consequences for their actions, but adults should know better and therefore are the real targets of criminal investigations.



Our message was to let parents know law enforcement is looking out for their child's best interest. Underage drinking is against the law-and for good reason. Those who begin drinking by the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop some type of alcohol use disorder in their lifetime. Those who begin before the age of 17 are twice as likely.

Furthermore, youth who believe they will not be caught by the police for drinking alcohol are 4 times as likely to drink. This points to the powerful prevention role of law enforcement.

These kits are the result of that collaboration within our own task force as well as the sharing of ideas and resources between the CCUDETF, the Androscoggin County Underage Drinking Enforcement Task Force, and the Maine Office of Substance Abuse. Credit for the investigative checklist goes to the Androscoggin Task Force. Maryann Harakall of the Maine Office of Substance Abuse researched and compiled the list of items for the party patrol kits.

For copies of the investigative booklet, contact Jo Morrissey.

CCUDETF supplied the following items in the kits:

• PBT's (breathalyzers)
• White boards & markers
• Cameras
• Underage Party Investigation Booklets with investigative questions and techniques to ensure the smooth and safe response at the scene.
• Flashlights
• Binoculars
• Extra batteries for the PBT, camera, and flashlight

Additional recommended items to be supplied by each department include:

• Drug detection kit
• Bullhorn
• Flex cuffs/handcuffs
• Latex gloves
• Miranda warning cards
• Processing forms (juvenile & adult)
• Citations
• Evidence forms
• Clipboards
• Transparency covers
• Tape recorder
• Extra tapes
• Pencils
• Highlighters
• Black pens
• Sharpies
• Water bottles
• Energy bars

Present at the conference were:
CCUDETF Chair, Jo Morrissey
Officer Donald McCormick, Bridgton
Chief Neil Williams, Cape Elizabeth
Chief Joseph Charron, & Lieutenant Milton Calder, Cumberland PD
Chief Deputy Kevin Joyce CCSO
Chief Edward Tolan, Falmouth PD
Chief Gerald Schofield & Officer Mike McMannus, Freeport
Chief Ronald Shepard, Gorham
Asst. Chief Michael Sauschuck, Sargent Charles Libby, and Officer
Ray Ruby, Portland
Chief Robert Moulton, Scarborough
Chief Edward Googins, Officers Robert Scarpelli, South Portland
Lieutenant Nugent, Westbrook
Chief Richard Lewsen and Sargent William Andrews, Windham
Lieutenant Dean Perry, Yarmouth

Additional speakers included Asst. Chief Sauschuck, Portland; Chief Googins, South Portland; Lt. Nugent Westbrook; Chief Deputy Kevin Joyce CCSO; Chief Lewsen, Windham.

We got some fantastic coverage from Portland Daily Sun, Wednesday, May 19, page 3, Channel 8, Channel 6, Channel 13/Fox 23, and Portland Press Herald.

The CCUDETF is convened by 21 Reasons with funding from the Maine Office of Substance Abuse that is contracted to us by the Healthy Maine Partnerships. The Task Force is made up of every law enforcement agency within Cumberland County in order to help facilitate cooperation around enforcing underage drinking laws.

Prom and Graduation Season Tips for Parents

Time to Talk has some great tips for parents during prom season:

Time for Prom and Graduation? Time To Talk with Your Teens

Prom season is fast approaching, and for many teens, this time of year offers a taste of new freedoms and the temptation to engage in risky behavior. A new study of 11th and 12th grade students from across the country shows that teens don't recognize the dangers of driving on prom and graduation night, even though they recognize their peers may be more likely to drink on these occasions. Nearly all of the students surveyed, 90 percent, reported that their peers are more likely to drink on prom night and 79 percent reported the same for graduation night. Despite believing that their peers are more likely to drink during prom and graduation, only 29 percent reported that they believe driving on prom night is dangerous, while 25 percent said the same for graduation night.

The study surveyed over 2,500 students and was conducted by ORC Guideline for Liberty Mutual and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD).

What You Can Do to Help Keep Prom Goers and New Graduates Safe?

To keep celebrations safe and healthy, here are some helpful tips and advice for parents and caregivers:

Know Your Teens' Plans and tell them to update you if the itinerary changes so you're aware of their whereabouts.

Check In With Them Via Text - they are more likely to reply, since it's discreet. You can send messages like "Hope ur having a gr8 time!" or "U OK?" before and after the dance.

Trust Your Teens and resist the urge to hover. You've filled them in on the rules and the risks - chances are they got the message.

For more ideas visit the Time to Talk website, or 21 Reasons' parent page.

Teens Take Risks: Ideas for Keeping Kids Safe

NPR had an excellent story this week on the teenage tendency to take risks. As they point out, teens “engage in risk-taking behaviors to find out who they are, not to rebel or get back at the parent.”

Given this reality, a parent’s job is to help teens take “safe” risks so that they’re not tempted to engage in unhealthy behavior that can have lifelong consequences—like drinking, drugs, or unsafe sexual activity. From the piece:

What are some examples of healthy risk-taking activities?
Sports and developing artistic and creative abilities -- be it through art or theater -- are all activities that involve healthy levels of risk-taking. Teens can engage in volunteer activities, and even Internet activities. It can be as simple -- and as scary -- as getting up on stage, or asking somebody out, says Steinberg. All these behaviors may satisfy a teen's need to push boundaries, but are usually in an environment where there's very little harm that could result.

The article also recognizes that parents—often unintentionally—role model behavior for their kids.

Adults have patterns of risk-taking, too -- think about what they are, and model good behavior. …Steinberg agrees. "Teens who drink a lot often come from households where their parents drink a lot. Teens model their parents. Even though parents think their teens ignore them, they watch them."

What are some other kinds of healthy risk-taking behaviors that we can encourage in teens? What are some ways that you have changed your behavior to model healthy actions for a young person in your life? Share your ideas in the comments section.

Fentiman's on the Colbert Report

Maine was back in the national media spotlight last week after the Comedy Central show “The Colbert Report” did a segment on the Fentiman’s Victorian Lemonade “incident” in Houlton, ME last November.

What the “Colbert Report” glosses over is what we wrote about when the incident first came to light – it is simply against Maine law to sell imitation liquor to a minor, and according to the law, Fentiman’s qualifies.

As the Bangor Daily News mentions (“'Colbert' nails fermented lemonade”, 4/9/10), though, the satirical show highlights that Attorney General Janet Mills and Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin can both have a good sense of humor--while still sticking to the decision they made. Chief Asselin standing in the middle of the road, glaring at the camera, pouring out a lemonade bottle? Pretty funny. AG Janet Mills staring down a bottle of the lemonade in her office? Comedy gold.

Yes, to those who may not have known about Maine’s laws beforehand, the situation probably seems ludicrous. And did we laugh at the Colbert Report skit? Absolutely.

What bears repeating is that the actual alcohol content alone was never the problem with imitation liquor of any kind – it’s pretty easy to see that getting drunk off something with less than 0.5% ABV is extremely unlikely. But the sale of imitation liquor is illegal for minors in Maine for good reason: imitation liquor can be confusing for law enforcement officials looking for kids drinking, and—more importantly—it teaches youngsters to enjoy the taste and habit of alcohol consumption.

Nailed ‘em, Colbert? Sure, but so did we.

What's a binge?

Binge drinking is the consumption of four or five alcoholic drinks per occasion (depending on the drinker’s gender). The CDC just released a video about binge drinking that describes some myths and realities, and gives community prevention strategies.

In addition to the excellent information shown in the video, I would like to add that excessive consumption sets a bad example for youth and young adults, who are looking to adults to set the standards for behavior.

Infographic of the day

Figure 1. Percentages of Past Month Alcohol Use among Persons Aged 12 to 20, by State: 2006 to 2008

Alcohol for a cause

Last week’s Portland Phoenix has an article about “drinks for a cause” (Fine Wine, Fine Cause by Leischen Stelter, March 31, 2010)—a way to raise money that has been gaining popularity in recent years. Alcohol and fundraising can seem to go inevitably together.

21 Reasons staffer Jen Hodsdon worked in the development field for many years, and responds to the Phoenix article:

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard development people say that they need event attendees to get a few drinks in them before they’ll start bidding in fundraising auctions or donating money. I think it comes from a larger cultural situation in which adults feel like they need to drink to get together. However, I’d like to encourage non-profit organizations, especially ones that serve youth, to consider reducing or eliminating alcohol-based fundraisers.

It’s true that fundraising events can feel awkward, because the people there are getting together for a cause rather than because they necessarily like each other—and alcohol is a shortcut to relaxation.

But youth watch what adults do, and tend to mimic the behavior and beliefs of adults that they admire. They observe how we calm our anxieties and relax, and drinking to do this can send the message that alcohol is a necessary tool for relieving stress—and can encourage teens to self-medicate with alcohol to relieve their own stressors and anxieties.

To avoid sending this message, adults can demonstrate and discuss other ways to get over the anxiety of getting together with strangers, like using icebreaker games or practicing conversation topics before the event.

Event planners might also believe that everybody is serving alcohol at their events—and they fear that people won’t attend if there’s no alcohol or if it’s restricted. However, I did a survey last year of 185 Portland non-profits, and about half of the respondents said that they didn’t hold any events that served alcohol!

And, it turns out, most adults don’t mind: a national survey showed that 80% of adults support restricting alcohol sales at events. In addition, alcohol-free fundraisers would be more appealing to people who prefer events that are free from alcohol-related problems.

21 Reasons has released a guide for non-profits on serving alcohol at community events. It give tips for managing risk if you do decide to serve alcohol, and some things to consider if you’re thinking about going alcohol-free. The guide is available digitally or in hard copy by emailing Jen.