Just in time for proms and graduation, the Androscoggin County Alcohol Enforcement Team has received a two-year, $30,000 grant to fight underage drinking. The team will use the money to step up patrols around events where teenagers often drink, like proms and high school sports.

Lewiston police Cpl. Robert Ullrich, who serves as the county’s alcohol investigator, said he hopes the higher visibility of officers at those events will discourage minors from consuming alcohol. “A lot of times, just by kids knowing there’s a chance to get caught, that discourages them to participate,” Ullrich said.

The enforcement team is a collaboration between police departments in Lewiston, Auburn and Lisbon, as well as the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department and Healthy Androscoggin. Ullrich reports to the sheriff and all three police departments.

“I’m kind of like my own task force,” Ullrich said. He was assigned to the position in November, but he said the grant will be a boon to what he’s been doing for the past few months. Alcohol enforcement has been difficult since 2003, when the state closed the Liquor Enforcement Bureau to cut costs. With no local funding, enforcement suffered, as did education on alcohol laws.

Besides patrols, Ullrich said he’ll be increasing training for employees at bars and stores that sell alcohol. They’ll learn how to spot fake IDs and what’s at stake when they sell to underage customers. He said his goal is to secure enough grant money to hold two training sessions per month – one for bars and restaurants that serve alcohol on their premises, and one for retailers who sell alcohol that’s consumed elsewhere.

Ullrich said that in a recent compliance check, Healthy Androscoggin employees aged 18-20 were able to buy alcohol at six of 11 stores visited. “We want to help the stores and educate them, and not just be the strong arm,” Ullrich explained.

To help enforce alcohol laws and help secure further funding, the team will also divert part of the grant to creating a database of alcohol violations to help keep track of where underage parties occur and how area businesses have fared in compliance checks.

“Handling large underage drinking parties in rural areas creates a challenge,” Androscoggin County Sheriff Guy Desjardins said in a written statement. “The creation of call-out teams and multi-jurisdictional patrols will be a great asset.”

The grant kicks in April 1, and supplies the team with $15,000 per year for the next two years.

According to Ullrich, more enforcement will cut down on tragedies. He said many fatal driving accidents involving minors are alcohol-related, and he aims to reduce those.

“When kids feel there’s a risk of getting caught, they’re less likely to try. And now they have an excuse. They tell their friends, ‘It’s not worth it – I don’t want to get caught.'”