AG Kicks Off Underage Drinking Enforcement, Awareness Campaign

WILDWOOD — On the Boardwalk by the Wildwoods Convention Center with the beach and ocean behind her, state Attorney General Paula T. Dow spoke to teens and young adults who visit New Jersey’s coastal resorts, pleading with them not to drink alcohol while underage. She noted that the Wildwoods’ beaches were recently named best in the state, and she wants young people to enjoy them, but safely.
“In one evening of drinking, you can shatter your life and the lives of others forever,” Dow said at a press conference on Thur., July 1.
The attorney general was in Wildwood as the Independence Day Weekend was about to begin to announce a comprehensive law enforcement and public awareness effort to combat underage drinking in Jersey Shore resort areas this summer.
“Last year, more than 500 people were arrested in underage enforcement crackdowns,” said Dow. “This year, I am calling on our law enforcement partners to charge these offenders to the fullest extent of the law. By doing so, we will be sending a strong message that underage drinking will not be tolerated in the State of New Jersey.”
If caught, underage drinkers face a criminal record and loss of driver’s license for six months, she said.
Joining Dow at the podium were Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Director Jerry Fischer, Division of Highway Traffic Safety (HTS) Director Pam Fischer, Cape May County Prosecutor Robert Taylor, several other state officials, and business and nonprofit leaders interested in eliminating underage drinking.
ABC Director Fischer said that cooperative efforts between state and county law enforcement like the “Cops in Shops” and Cape May County’s “We Check for 21” program represent an “extraordinary effort” in government’s commitment to battling underage drinking.
On June 24, more than 400 licensees and establishment employees attended the “We Check for 21” ID training program held at the Wildwoods Convention Center. This past Memorial Day, 297 individuals were refused the sale of alcoholic beverages in Cape May County because they failed to prove that they were at least 21. Between 2002 and 2010, that number was 3,650.
Cops in Shops, is a law enforcement program designed by the Century Council, a not-for-profit organization funded by distillers, in which local police work undercover in participating retail locations to apprehend adults who attempt to purchase alcohol for underage drinkers.
Last summer, 211 people were arrested through the Cops in Shops summer program. This summer, 31 Shore police departments — including Avalon, Cape May, Lower Township, Middle Township, North Wildwood, Sea Isle City and Wildwood — are participating in the program, with approximately $61,000 in funding provided by HTS.
Since it started in 1996, over 8,000 have been arrested in this state as a result of the Cops in Shops initiative.
Century Council Traffic Safety Director Ron Engle said New Jersey’s Cops in Shops program was the “gold standard” for national programs.
“If you’re too young to buy, don’t even try,” Engle reminded the younger crowd.
Taylor told the Herald he thought the kickoff event was “fantastic.”
“It’s great to see the cooperation between local, county and state law enforcement agencies as well as the business community in addressing this serious problem,” Taylor said, noting it works well with the county’s “We Check for 21” training event.
“The Prosecutor’s Office will do whatever it can to prevent underage drinking, prosecuting those offenders as well as those who use fake IDs,” he added.
Fischer noted the ABC’s cooperation with the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey to educate young people about the dangers of underage drinking.
He cited two public awareness initiatives aimed at middle school students and their parents:
• “Listen-Up to the Dangers of Underage Drinking,” a radio PSA program in which students created 30-second radio announcement that talked directly to parents about the dangers of underage alcohol use.
• “Dangers of Underage Drinking” billboard/calendar competition designed to encourage students and their parents to work together to create messages featured on a calendar to be distributed to middle schools at the start of the 2011 calendar year.
“It is only by working together that we can get these important messages out and help stem the tide of underage drinking in New Jersey,” said Angelo Valente, executive director of the Partnership.
HTS Director Fischer stressed the potentially fatal consequences of not only underage drinking and driving, but drugged driving as well.
Fischer called on parents to communicate with their children about the dangers of underage drinking and driving, and to also provide a good example by not over indulging in their presence.
According to Fischer, in 2008, 28,705 individuals were arrested in New Jersey for driving while intoxicated, and of those charged, 2,938 were under the age of 21. She also noted that 25 percent of last year’s fatal crashes involved alcohol.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 20,” Fischer said. “When you add alcohol to a young driver’s inexperience and overconfidence behind the wheel, you have a potentially deadly situation.”
Dr. Alex Axelrad, director of emergency services at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, said the hospital’s trauma center took care of 1,900 patients last year, its most ever.
In addition to many traffic related accidents, Axelrad said the trauma center also saw 109 water or beach-related injuries, “many of which were alcohol related and involved underage victims.”
“My main message is not to use drugs or alcohol before getting behind the wheel or participating in beach activities,” Axelrad said.
Members of bar and restaurant groups also participated.
Diane M. Weiss, executive director of the New Jersey Licensed Beverage Association (NJLBA), said she wants young people to be able to enjoy the Jersey Shore beaches, arcades and boardwalks, “but you’re not welcome in its bars and clubs until you’re 21.”
Kim Gansert, of Shore Gate Golf Club, Ocean View, a NJLBA regional director, said the involvement of her group and local licensees in this event and others like “We Check for 21” show that Cape May County bar owners are serious about their licenses.
“We are big supporters of these programs,” Gansert told the Herald. “We do make a living by selling alcohol, but we believe in the responsible sale and service of alcohol.”
“Everybody loses when people drive drunk. The kids lose, the businesses lose and the victims lose,” Gansert said. She noted that she was the victim of a drunk driver, and lives every day with the pain caused in that accident.
Deborah Dowdell, president of the New Jersey Restaurant Association, told the Herald. her group’s membership is proud to stand with state officials to take part in this safety initiative to battle underage drinking.
“As important members of the state’s tourism industry, the Restaurant Association will continue to do the right thing and partner with the state,” Dowdell said.