Underage drinking target of Upper Dublin police grant
By Linda Finarelli , Monday, August 31, 2015, the Ambler Gazette, montgomerynews.com
UPPER DUBLIN >> Education, enforcement and new bikes — all tools the Upper Dublin Police Department plans to spend about $28,000 on in a continuing quest to prevent underage and dangerous drinking.
Armed with a $22,069 grant and $6,224 in matching funds, the police have created a website detailing the dangers associated with underage and dangerous drinking, will operate enforcement details and purchase two police bicycles for use in patrolling areas frequented by underage and dangerous drinkers, according to Officer David Madrak, the department’s professional standards officer.
The grant, from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, is one of 65 awarded to municipalities, community groups, schools, colleges and universities, and law enforcement agencies in 31 counties under a $2.3 million 2015-17 Alcohol Education Grant Program. It is the fifth consecutive grant the UD police have received.
The grants are provided to fund underage alcohol consumption prevention programs and support related law enforcement activities.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, alcohol use by those under 21 “is a major public health problem.” Alcohol tops the list of commonly used and abused drugs among youths in the United States, more than tobacco and illicit drugs, and is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youths annually, the CDC says.
Binge drinking accounts for more than 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by underage youths, the website notes. In 2010, there were about 189,000 emergency room visits by those under 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol.
In a 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 35 percent of high school students reported drinking some amount of alcohol in the past 30 days, 21 percent binge drank, 10 percent drove after drinking alcohol and 22 percent reported riding with a driver who had been drinking alcohol, according to the CDC.
Underage drinking risks listed on the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism include: death, serious injuries, impaired judgment, increased risk for physical and sexual assault, and brain development problems.
In addition to providing information on the dangers of underage and binge drinking, the UD police website will provide contact information for organizations offering further assistance regarding alcohol consumption and will advertise the sources available through social media and community groups. Officers on enforcement details will patrol popular underage drinking areas on bicycles frequented by underage and dangerous drinkers, police said.
The bikes are used to get into areas not accessible by police vehicles, Madrak said, including township parks and recreation areas, school district properties, golf courses and country clubs, and large wooded natural areas.
About 20 members of the force are certified as bicycle police officers, he said. The department has 18 police mountain bikes currently in service. The bikes cost $750 to $1,000, depending on size, type and equipment.
Through educational programs and enforcement details, the department expects to meet its goal of reducing deaths, injuries, health risks and property losses caused by underage and dangerous drinking, police said.
Under a 2014-15 grant, the department conducted 20 underage and dangerous drinking enforcement details that included 194 foot patrols, directed patrols, property checks or incidents, Madrak said. The patrols resulted in interactions with 414 adults and juveniles, 47 investigations and the warning, citing or arrest of 28 people, he said.
The new grant, in addition to the bike purchase and website, will be used for the enforcement details — about 40 over 20 months, he said.
The statistics show the impact the grants have had on educating and monitoring underage and dangerous drinking, Madrak said, and members of the community have made positive comments to officers observed patrolling their neighborhoods and parks at night on bikes. The enforcement details, though focusing on underage drinking, have the ability to respond to serious and emergency situations that may occur while they are on patrol, which is another benefit, he said.
The success of the program will also be determined by the number of visits made to the website.
The website is available at http://www.upperdublin.net/departments/police/underagedrinking.