Underage Drinking

[RWC130 594]

After watching news story after news story on local news stations I just had to put this one out here in the Law Enforcement community.

UNDERAGE DRINKING....

While in High School 1989-1993 I would party on occasion with friends.

House Party at a Private Home, Blue Mountain-Peekskill, Georges Island-Montrose, Riverfront Park-Peekskill. We had some FUN times.

We would meet up have a few beers, Every now and then if we were lucky maybe a Keg or two. Sometimes even had a 1 AM BBQ which was great.

We had a good time. Never got too crazy. No one got hurt or locked up.

We looked out for each other.

I remember a County PO once found us drinking in Blue Mountain.

He broke our chops and then made us pour out EVERY single beer told us to leave.

We were all very respectful and left. Could he have prob locked up every one of us? ABSOLUTELY!

1993 was not that long ago. (I think ) haha

Is UNDERAGE DRINKING really that out of hand today?

I am sure we have all had our young years of fun but I never remember

it being this bad or is it just me?

Your thoughts?

[ryefd192 2]

As a college student, I can tell you that underaged drinking is a huge problem now. Im not saying I never drink, but I don't do it to get drunk and I don't associate myself with the kind of people who cause problems. However, I see it all around me, wether it is frat's causing their pledges to have alcohol poisoning or kids thinking that drinking makes them invincible.

For instance here is an encounter that some friends and I had: we were hanging out at a friend's apartment, on his front stoop/porch. We heard a bottle break in what we thought was the parking lot of the complex. The bottle came from a group of kids across the way and up stairs (the entrances all face the parking lot and are on the outside. My friend who lived in the apartment went out into the middle of the parking lot, and asked that they not throw anymore bottles as he has expensive tires and doesn't want to run over glass. The kids started to get belligerent and threatened to come down and start a fight, it was only after they saw me and my other friend (both over 6'6) that they backed off. Meanwhile a friend of ours got freaked out and she called the police and asked that they maybe just drive by, not get out, and maybe scare the kids. So the police come, and the officer gets out of his car and goes into the party. He id's the first person he see drinking, she was 16...he then Id'd the rest of the group who were all underaged. The best part was, as the cop pulled in and walked up one set of stairs, about two dozen kids went running out of the apartment and down the opposite staircase. The officer confiscated the beer and the kicker was that the girl who lived in the apartment wasn't even there!! she came home later, after many of the people filed back into the party who had run away, and made everyone get out, since the poilce had called her parents because they couldn't find the owner of the apartment at the party.

These kids have no respect for the people around them, even their friends; and it is a growing problem.

[Guest partyrock]

Hate to break it to you, but that party you described is nothing new. Back in my college days I was one of those jackasses.

There is definately a difference between underage drinking now and when I was doing it. I can't quite put my finger on it. On the LE side, there is much less tollerance for a few a kids hanging out in the woods not causing any problems. Some argue that this results in kids having to party as much as they can when they can. Makes sense, but I think there has also been a change in the kids doing it. Theres this sense of entitlement, like they supose to be out thee doing stupid things.

The more I think about this, the less lucid my argument becomes. Things have changed, something needs to be done, but I have no idea what.

[ONEEYEDMIC 68]

Here is my take on the whole thing. You see almost on a monthly basis maybe more of these underage drinking parties being broken up. The parents might be arrested and maybe even some of the kids that were involved. They go to court and DO COMMUNTIY SERVICE and if they complete that it will be erased from their records. Why waste the time?

I was young once and if you were at a party and the cops came they just made you go home. Now we call the parents and let them know what is going on. Some parents are clueless to what their kids are doing. That is the problem. Little Johnny tells Mommmy and Daddy that he is going to the movies when is getting hammered at some party to the point where he has to go to the ER for Alcohol poisioning. Then the parents of the injured teen make a huge stink about what was going on. How about they pay attention to their children. Boys will be Boys and Girls will be Girls.

We are soon coming to that time of year when Drinking and Driving might happen more. The weather will be nice and the Proms and Grad parties start. How do we stop this? I don't know, but I know that I hate reading about someone dying after drinking and driving and still in High School. Let face it we were all young once and I am sure that we have all done some stupid sh*t in our day. Maybe we still do.

I have said many times that if you can go to WAR for this COUNTRY then you should be able to have a beer when and if you make it back from where you are. Fake ID's are better than ever now. How about if the law makers lift the ban on UNIFORMED or Plain Clothes OFFICERS in bars here in NY. It works in CT and some other places. I am sure that underage persons get in but not like down here in WESTCHESTER. There was a huge raid on a bar here in WEST awhile ago. There were between 30-60 fake ID's found. How many were arrested? Not that many. If you are going to go to the trouble of finding the fake ID's then go to the trouble of charging the person with the FELONY that you always THREATEN. They arrested the students involved with making them but still.

As a fairly new parent and a once "WILD CHILD" I like to think that I am going to know everything that is going to go on, but let's not be NAIVE. Not sure if I even hit what I wanted to but I am sure that you all get the point.

[IzzyEng4 427]

I don't think underage drinking is a huge problem or has changed over the years. I think if you really look at the statistics, its remained a constant with spikes here or there.

The reason it seems to be a problem in epidemic size is because of media attention. Good or bad, no matter what you believe the media has spend a lot of time on this subject and making people more aware what is going on and also pointing out how there has been a lot of bad decision making by minors while under the influence. For one, DWI accidents by minors area on the rise and obviously this is a major cause for concern. Back in the day when I did attend parties and drink like a fish, I had at least the brains to realize not to get behind the wheel, but unfortunately many you'ts (What's a you't?) don't even think about it and their invincibility sense takes over. With actions like this obviously there has to be a crackdown.

Of course you gonna get that group of kids that don't know when to slow down and or stop drinking and we have to get then an ambulance unfortunately, but this was the same before this time period. The worst I ever got scorned by a cop while I was underage was him to confiscate my beer and that was it and if I did get in my car and drive, well I wouldn't be sleeping in my bed that night and in the am worry about my dad beating the living crap outta me.

I'm not advocating underage drinking but we have to realize that yes it goes on and yes kids will get it. On A college level, it hasn't changed at all, don't kid yourself saying that years past it wasn't as bad as today. People are more aware of this because of the lack of responsibility a lot of kids have today. I still believe that if your 18 you should be able to by a six-pack since you can by cigs and area classified as an adult.

That's just part of my view without getting long winded, the problem has not changed, just the means of it being pushed in the public's eye has and hopefully for the good for some people who might make a wrong decision.

[JM15 386]

Being a college student I have a lot of insight into this topic. The first being that in my oppinnion the drinking age should be lowered to 18. There have been many studies done about this. One of the most obvious reasons is that it would make it legal so teens wouldn't have to go sneaking around about it, they would be able to drink in bars a more stable enviroment then in someones basement with 400 other people ( yes 400 I have been to parties like that while in high school and even in college) these are the places where the drinking gets out of hand and fights start. Another reason is that it would probabally reduce the underage drunk driving. Teens would be more responsible and understand that it is a privileage. There are still plenty of people over 21 arrested for DUI's and DWI's why not make the punishments stricter. Another issue is college underage drinking. Most colleges across the United States know about the amount of drinking that goes on. This is the reason that they don't allow freshman to bring cars their first year. Even after your first year when you do have a car everyone walks every where on a thursday, friday, saturday and occasional sunday night What are everyones oppinnions on this. I know that the local PD in my college town have the attitude do whatever you want just as long as your not disrupting the public and it is not openly visible ( Aka walking down the street with a group of people drinking a 12 pack) Just my 2 cents....

[Guest]

The same stuff goes on now that went on in the 60s/70s when my parents attended college. I don't know what causes it exactly. Maybe its the fact that parents aren't around. Do my buddies and i drink? Absolutely (granted, im of age.) You should take a look at our beer bottle collection! Do some of them drink too much? Absolutely. Do a few get out of hand? Yeah, but they eventually pass out haha. It's nothing really new. Some of the stories my dad tells me from back in his college days are leaps and bounds ahead of anything we did! Fact is, HS/college kids are gonna drink and there really isnt any way to stop it because they keep coming up with crafty ways to get around authority. Some of the things my little brother tries to pull are almost disturbingly crafty.The first few weeks of school in August are always the worst for the Freshman - you can watch the ambulances line up in front of their dorms haha. But, what really matters is what happens after college. Will my buddies and i continue to drink? Yes. To the same frequency or same quantity? Nope. Of course, there will be some who fall victim to alcoholism but i don't think underage/college binge drinking can solely be blamed for it.

Edited April 12, 2007 by 66Alpha1

[ONEEYEDMIC 68]

Kids are going to drink no matter what the drinking age is. If I were young again I would try and challenge the system to buy booze. When you tell people they can't do something they will go out of their way to do it. I don't blame kids. I do dump out there beer or whatever when I find it. I try and act cool to the point but not if I am being disrespected. I draw the line there. I even go as far to drive you home if I stop you take your keys and your license and make you come to HQ in the morn to get them. That happened to me when I was younger and I can see how that helped me out. I learned a lesson and was given another chance and I am able to do the job I do now without a blemish on my record. THANK GOD

Of course there are other LEO's out there will arrest you for DUI/DWI. Don't get me wrong I am on the side of the LAW but I also believe that people make mistakes and that mistake was to drink and get behind the wheel of a car. Of course we don't know if that person has priors but we should. It should be on your license that you were at least stopped for DUI/DWI in the past even if you plead down.

What kind of a penalty do we set? You see actors/actresses/atheletes getting away with this all the time with little consequences. What makes them different than us? Money probably but there shoudl be a standard that all have to follow and until then this problem can't be solved.

This kinda got on a different topic sorry. I guess I am saying I am not a HYPOCRITE when it comes to this subject. Unless of course it is out of my hands then I have to do what the Law says.

One more thing, if the lawmakers think this is a problem how come it is published in the NEWSPAPERS and on the NEWS the biggest party schools in the COUNTRY. This years WINNER UNIVERSITY OF WISC. CONGRATS TO THEM. I bet not everyone there is over 21. How about Tailgaiting. I can go on and on. Damn this subject is juicy.