Crime & Safety

Update: Call The JPD If You Suspect Underage Drinking

The local police department is asking neighbors to call in if they suspect underage drinking after the prom tonight.

With the senior prom scheduled for tonight, the is again making efforts to ensure a safe night for local teens.

Residents who suspect underage drinking can call the main dispatch number, (401) 231-4210.

During a recent interview at the police department, Det. Richard Almonte said that, generally, Johnston has few issues with underage drinking — though that's no reason to get complacent.

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"A lot of other communities have been identified as having alcohol problems with kids — we haven't really had DUI problems with the kids here," Almonte said, adding that in seven years, he can only recall one underage drunk driving case. "I believe one of the best reasons for that is our visibility on the street. That visibility has deterred them from drinking and driving."

Almonte said the local department uses methods considered traditional — the wrecked car in front of Johnston High School — and others that are more recent, like "Blue Rip Tide," a grant-funded program that places two officers on local streets between 10 p.m. at 2 a.m. to look for possible drunk drivers.

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On May 18, students from the high school traveled to the Adult Correctional Facilities in Cranston as part of "Zero Fatalities," another grant-funded program that puts the kids face-to-face with ACI inmates who were convicted of alcohol-related crimes.

"It's like a 'Scared Straight' program — and we hope it does scare them straight," Almonte said.

The local department will also deploy a "party patrol" of officers who check out neighborhoods and look for illegal underage drinking after the prom.

"We ask for the public's help in identifying where these parties are," Almonte explained. "If you see 30 ot 40 kids at a house, call and let us know — let us make sure everything's okay."

Almonte said neighbors can also help by contacting the department if they "know that a family is on vacation and see cars in the yard."

House parties where teens drink alcohol are the more common issue in Johnston — and Almonte said adults should know that Rhode Island has a law to hold them accountable if they serve kids.

Known as the "Social Host Law," the statute allows anyone over 21 to be charged with serving minors anywhere on their property — not just inside the house. A 2008 update to the law closed a loophole that had been identified after cases in Barrrington, Almonte said.

Now, a first conviction under the Social Host Law — a copy of which is attached to this article — carries a possible jail sentence of six months and a fine of between $350 and $1,000. A second offense could mean a year in prison.

All of these efforts are directed at keeping kids safe, Almonte said.

"We haven't had to make those notifications to parents at 2 in the morning — that's the most difficult part of the job, and we don't want to do it," explained Almonte.

 

Update: This article was updated with additional information after it was first published.


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