County’s 22nd Annual We Check for 21 Program Is Underway

COURT HOUSE — The We Check For 21 program officially started in Cape May County on June 17 with three training and information sessions hosted by Freeholders E. Marie Hayes and Leonard C. Desiderio at the Wildwoods Convention Center.
This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the program that originated in Cape May County in 1993 and has since been implemented statewide. The initiative that coined the slogan “If you’re too young to buy don’t even try” originally had forty businesses involved, this year approximately 650 people attended the kick-off events.
The We Check For 21 opening sessions included a Fake Identification Training program conducted by Joseph Vasil, Coordinator of NJ Motor Vehicle Commission Security and Investigations, Fraudulent Document Training Unit; a report on the Memorial Day Weekend Turn-Away program and comments from guest speaker, NJ State Parole Board Chairman, James Plousis, who started the program in Cape May County 22 years ago when he was Sheriff.
For the twelfth straight year, during Memorial Day weekend, a Card & Count Turn Away initiative was conducted. Under this initiative, twenty-two liquor store licensees documented and reported the total number of underage persons who were refused the purchase of alcohol.
This year the data indicates that a total of 179 individuals were refused the sale of alcoholic beverages based on their failure to prove that they were at least 21 years of age. From 2002 through 2014, a total of 4,803 youth were refused a sale.
Freeholder Hayes presented the count and stated, “The turn away count is even more significant if you assume that each turn away shared their purchase/liquor with two or more friends. The number would then triple to over 14,409 kids in the past thirteen years who were declined access to alcohol of the Memorial Day weekend. In my view, from my law enforcement experience, these numbers are staggering and reflect the success and impact this campaign has made.”
The We Check For 21 program is a unique collaborative effort bringing together the public and private sectors of our county in the fight against underage drinking. The program has been successful in raising awareness that underage drinking is not tolerated in Cape May County.
The We Check For 21 campaign educates persons 16-20 years-old about underage drinking. Underage drinking is punishable by a fine of no less than $500 and loss of driver’s license for a minimum of 6 months. Freeholder Hayes, who oversees the Department of Tourism and Public Information, added, “A promotional campaign which includes road signs, flyers and radio and television commercials is conducted all summer long spreading the word that We Check For 21 in Cape May County.”
New this year, the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Board presented recognition awards to Cape Assist and Harrison Beverage for their ongoing support and participation in the We Check For 21 as part of the kick-off event.
The Harrison Beverage Company of Pleasantville has donated the Driver License Guides for the training sessions for the past ten years saving the program thousands of dollars each year. For the past five years, Cape Assist, a county substance abuse prevention agency, has donated funds to purchase black lights for establishments, supplies, and staffing, also, at a cost of thousands of dollars each year. This significant monetary donation paired-up with their program support for many years of providing staff to help with many aspects of the program from working at the sign-in table to handling the computer technical jobs and from set-up to clean-up. Freeholder Hayes said, “This recognition expresses Cape May County’s gratitude for their invaluable participation and support of the We Check For 21 program and their contribution to the safety and well being of our community.”
The We Check For 21 program is sponsored by the Cape May County Municipal Alliances for the Prevention of Substance Abuse in cooperation with the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders and funded by a grant from the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. Others involved in this effort include Cape Assist and a grant from New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Harrison Beverage, the Cape May County Licensed Beverage Association, the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, the Cape May County Sheriff’s Office and the Cape May County Chiefs of Police Association.
For more information about the We Check For 21 program in Cape May County, please call the Department of Human Services at 609-465-1055.