Police, Prevention Council

Take On Illegal Graduation Partying

By John Voket

Newtown Police Department’s “zero tolerance” policy regarding underage drinking and unlawful house parties will receive added support in the weeks surrounding Newtown High School’s graduation thanks to a publicity campaign being mounted by the Newtown Prevention Council (NPC).

And to ensure local officers are receiving the “latest, greatest” training, Chief Michael Kehoe this week committed four officers to attending the Governor’s Prevention Partnership’s annual law enforcement conference on underage drinking.

Chief Kehoe, who is also the chairman of the NPC, said his ability to enhance the department’s procedures and protocols will aid in his officers’ ability to prevent underage drinking and other related crimes.

“We made a strong commitment by sending the people who get the calls, and who will have to strategize and respond to myriad incidents,” Chief Kehoe said. “This training will buttress the Prevention Council/law enforcement initiative which is tapping federal and state grants, especially the state grant which is targeting underage drinking specifically.”

Among the four local officers attending Monday’s state conference were Detective Sergeant John Cole, who said the officers will not only be on the alert for underage consumers, but establishments that might sell alcoholic beverages to them.

“We want to educate people on the law and work with liquor-selling establishments on compliance,” Det Sgt Cole said.

Chief Kehoe said it is critical to have the community behind the local efforts.

“We’re well intentioned and geared toward the prevention end,” he said. To that end, the coming weeks will see Newtown police officers randomly stationed inside local liquor stores, monitoring liquor-selling establishments, targeting special patrols to local known party spots, conducting bar checks along with stepped up canvassing by an added contingent of officers.

Det Sgt Cole said he was particularly impressed with the results Hartford Police effected as a result of aggressive bar checks in that community. That department was one of the presenters at Monday’s statewide conference on underage drinking.

In the spirit of partnering with parents and concerned family members of underage partygoers, Chief Kehoe suggested one of the greatest tools parents have in checking or preventing their own children from participating in illegal activities is conducting their own random pop-bys of parties they may be attending.

“Short of offering to chaperone the parties your kids will be attending yourself,” Chief Kehoe said, “just dropping in unannounced during the course of the party may seem awkward, but knowing a parent may appear at any time is certainly a big deterrent from getting involved in inappropriate activities.”

Det Sgt Cole said based on speaking with officers in many other communities, he is pleased that Newtown is among the most advanced and proactive communities in the state when it comes to their application of the laws tied to illegal house parties and underage drinking. Newtown’s “zero-tolerance” stance was reinforced recently when former school board member Thomas Gissen and his wife were cited along with eight other underage guests for liquor violations at an after-prom party.

The Gissens have pleaded not guilty to their infractions, but the incident precipitated Mr Gissen’s resignation from the school board. The couple face individual violations of the state’s newly enacted social host law, which cracks down on house parties where most drinking among youth occurs. The statute makes it illegal for minors to drink on private property and holds adults and minors who host gatherings where youths are consuming alcohol accountable through fines and jail time.

“The Newtown Police are among the more proactive in the state,” Det Sgt Cole said. “A lot of departments in Connecticut haven’t started to do what we’ve done, or what we are doing to prevent underage drinking.”

While the local police force deals with the front line issues, the NPC is working in cooperation with some local retailers on a “sticker shock” campaign. The council is launching the project targeting adults in the area with stickers designed for multipacks of alcoholic beverages and on paper bags used at liquor stores.

The stickers read, “Hey You!! It is ILLEGAL to provide alcohol for people under 21!” In addition to the stickers, stores are given the option of placing signs in the windows, on cooler doors, and at the checkout counter.

The effort has already won the cooperation of the local Big Y store, whose employees will be affixing stickers to every alcoholic beverage container sold at the Queen Street market.

In a letter sent home with all Newtown High School students, Chief Kehoe, high school Principal Arlene Gottesmann, and NPC Vice Chair Judy Blanchard remind parents that recent local events have brought to the forefront the seriousness of underage drinking — it is not a minor problem.

“Underage drinking should not be considered a rite of passage. Fact is, alcohol is the leading cause of death for young people. It’s unhealthy. It’s unsafe and it’s illegal,” the letter states.

The council’s campaign, which launched June 11 and is continuing in the weeks following the high school graduation June 20, espouses a message of “Don’t Ignore; Don’t Excuse; Don’t Provide,” and is aimed at the parents of teens.

Chief Kehoe and prevention council volunteers remind parents that alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and injuries among young adults, especially those under age 21. Conviction on a DUI charge in Connecticut for those under 21 provides a mandatory one-year suspension of one’s driver’s license.

Possession of alcohol or use of a false ID by minors is punishable by maximum $500 fines, and anyone under age 21 caught operating a motor vehicle where alcohol is present, even the “designated driver,” is subject to a 60-day license suspension.