Submitted photo

Members of Oxford County’s law enforcement community gathered Monday to discuss their united effort to fight underage drinking. From left, front row, are Norway police Chief Rob Federico, Dixfield police Chief Richard Pickett, Sheriff Wayne Gallant, Chief Deputy Dane Tripp and Bethel police Chief Alan Carr; back row, Fryeburg police Chief Wayne Brooking, Paris police Lt. Michael Dailey, Mexico police Chief Jim Theriault, Oxford police Chief Jon Tibbetts, Rumford police Chief Stacey Carter, Paris police Chief David Verrier, Mexico police Sgt. Roy Hodsdon, and Assistant District Attorney Joe O’Connor. Also attending was Norway police Detective Gary Hill.

Law enforcers launch battle against underage drinking

PARIS – A recently completed survey of Oxford County students in grades six through 12 shows 17 percent of sixth-graders have consumed at least one drink in their lifetime. That number rose to 75 percent by the senior year.

“That’s a little surprising even to us,” Norway police Chief Robert Federico said Monday afternoon of the revelation that so many children as young as sixth grade admit to drinking.

Federico was with seven other Oxford County police chiefs, a representative of the District Attorney’s Office and Sheriff Wayne Gallant at a noon gathering Monday at the Oxford County Courthouse to show a united front against underage drinking and their intent to enforce the laws.

The survey on adolescent and adult alcohol and other drug use was conducted by several Oxford County nonprofit organizations, including Community Concepts, Healthy Oxford Hills and the River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition to develop a county-level strategic substance abuse prevention plan.

Among findings, the survey showed that 29 percent of Oxford County students in grades six to 12 have consumed at least one alcoholic beverage in the past 30 days and 14 percent have binged on alcohol in the past two weeks. A total of 27 percent of seventh-graders have consumed alcohol, and the number increases with each grade level, according to the survey.

None of the sixth-graders reported using marijuana but almost half of the senior class members had.

“Alcohol is the ‘drug of choice’ for both adolescents and adults,” said Joan Churchill, prevention specialist for Community Concepts. “The earlier people start using, the quicker addiction can happen.”

Federico said underage drinking has long been a problem, but the fact that so many admit to drinking at such a young age is “pretty scary.”

Unlike previous years where “gravel pit” parties were common, Federico said police are now seeing more parties in the parents’ homes when parents are away for the week and children have access to their liquor or even in some cases when parents are at home and are aware of the underage drinking.

“We want to get the word out and educate people,” Federico said.

“We have to start at home. Educate the children. Educate the parents. We will aggressively enforce the laws that are already in place,” the chief said. “If they really know they will get caught they might think twice about doing this.”

Monday’s event was suggested by Sheriff Wayne Gallant to show their commitment to enforcing the underage drinking law and to send the message that if underage drinkers are caught they will be prosecuted.

Maine law prohibits the following acts by minors (people under age 21):

• possession or consumption of alcohol (except in the scope of employment or in a home in the presence of minor’s parent/guardian);

• transportation of alcohol in a motor vehicle;

• operation of a motor vehicle with any measurable blood alcohol level and possession of false identification or supplying false oral information about one’s age for the purpose of buying alcohol or gaining entrance to a bar.

Adults furnishing alcohol to minors face a fine of up to $2,000 and up to one year in jail. The arrest can be elevated to a felony if the minor’s drinking results in death or serious injury to any person.

Bethel police Chief Alan Carr said Monday, “All of us are parents. We want our children to love us, but we need to be their parents and not their friends. We need to send a clear ‘no use’ message: no drinking parties, no parent-sponsored parties, none until age 21.”

Churchill said many veteran officers remember hating to go to work on school graduation night because of the high likelihood they would see a dead teenager due to a drunken driving crash.

Oxford County initiated Project Graduation in 1980 after seven students were killed in alcohol-related crashes around graduation time. The public can participate in the planning at meetings on March 1, 15 and 29. More information on Project Graduation is available by phoning Kathy Keene at 743-2616.

Churchill said community forums will be scheduled soon to discuss the survey findings and get the message out that underage drinking won’t be tolerated. Seven public forums will be held starting in April and May.

More information may be obtained by phoning Churchill at Community Concepts at 739-6364, Sarah Shepley at Healthy Oxford Hills, 743-1562, ext. 772, and Patty Duguay at River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition at 364-7408.