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Point
Pleasant Beach – Division of Alcoholic
Beverage Control Director Jerry Fischer
today announced a comprehensive law enforcement
and public awareness effort to combat underage
drinking in Shore resort areas this summer.
“Recognizing
that young people are drinking at an earlier
age, we have developed a variety of programs
geared towards involving parents, as well
as their children, in the efforts to combat
underage alcohol use,” Fischer said.
“We must include parents in the dialogue,
if we are to truly make a difference in
the choices young people make regarding
alcohol use.”
Division
of Highway Traffic Safety Director Pam Fischer
also stressed the potentially fatal consequences
of underage drinking and driving. “In
New Jersey, 29,270 individuals were arrested
in 2006 for drunk driving, and 2,971 of
those people charged with DWI were under
the age of 21,” Pam Fischer said.
“Young drivers face many risks every
time they get behind the wheel. Inexperience,
driver distraction and speed are just a
few of the factors that contribute to making
traffic crashes the number one cause of
death for motorists 15 to 34 years of age.
Adding alcohol to that already potentially
deadly equation can only result in tragedies
for teen drivers and all who share the road
with them.”
This
summer, 28 shore municipalities are participating
in the Cops in Shops program, with approximately
$61,000 in funding provided by the Division
of Highway Traffic Safety.
“Cops
in Shops” is a program designed by
The Century Council, a national not-for-profit
organization funded by distillers, which
is committed to fighting underage drinking.
Under the program, local police officers
work undercover in participating retail
locations. Law enforcement officials either
pose as store employees or are positioned
outside the establishment to apprehend adults
who attempt to purchase alcohol for underage
drinkers.
As
part of the program, retail outlets display
posters and decals on doors, windows, counter
tops, and cold cases warning underage drinkers
that a police officer may be working undercover
in the establishment.
The
following towns are participating in the
2008 “Cops in Shops” summer
program:
Atlantic
County: Absecon, Egg Harbor Township, and
Margate; Cape May County: Avalon, Cape May,
Lower Township, Middle Township, North Wildwood,
Sea Isle City, and Wildwood; Monmouth County:
Belmar, Holmdel, Lake Como, Neptune, Ocean
Township; Ocean County: Barnegat Township,
Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars, Lakehurst, Lavallette
Boro, Long Beach Township, Manchester Township,
Ocean Township, Pt. Pleasant, Seaside Heights,
Ship Bottom, and Stafford Township.
In
addition, police departments throughout
the state, as well as the Gloucester County
and Salem County Prosecutors’ Offices,
will run year-round “Cops in Shops”
programs beginning this summer, using funding
provided by the federal Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Several
of these towns will also participate in
undercover operations.
The following towns are participating towns
in the year-round “Cops in Shops”
and/or Undercover Operations program:
Atlantic County: Atlantic City (C); Bergen
County: Fair Lawn (C); Burlington County:
Burlington Township (C/U), Evesham (C),
and Medford (C); Cape May County: Cape May
(U); Essex County: Belleville (U) Irvington
(C/U), Newark (C) and West Orange (C); Gloucester
County Prosecutor’s Office (C); Hudson
County: Bayonne (C), Guttenberg (C), Harrison
(C/U), Jersey City (U); Mercer County: Ewing
(C); Middlesex County: Metuchen (U); Monmouth
County: Middletown (C); Ocean County: Brick
Township (C/U), Toms River (C); Salem County
Prosecutor’s Office (C); Somerset
County: Hillsborough (C), Raritan Borough
(C); Union County: Rahway (C)
(C)
Denotes enforcement agencies participating
in Cops in Shops and (U) denotes enforcement
agencies participating in Undercover Operations.
Those with (C/U) are participating in both.
Since its inception in 1996, more than 7,100
underage persons and adults have been arrested
in New Jersey as a result of the “Cops
in Shops” initiative. Underage drinkers
face penalties that include arrest, a minimum
fine of $500 and a loss of driver’s
license for six months.
"The Century Council is pleased to
continue our efforts with the New Jersey
ABC, and we are honored that our “Cops
in Shops” program remains an integral
part of this campaign,’’ said
Ron Engle, director of traffic safety at
the Century Council. “Every summer,
the State of New Jersey sends a very clear
message to youth under 21 – if you're
too young to buy, don't even try.’’
Additional efforts to combat underage drinking
include public service announcements - on
radio and TV, as well as a calendar/billboard
contest for students:
“Proms and Alcohol Don’t Mix”
TV PSA. Now in its second year, the “Proms
and Alcohol Don’t Mix” initiative,
funded through a grant provided by the Division
of Highway Traffic Safety, invites high
school students to create a 30-second TV
public service announcement. The initiative
was started to open a dialogue among students
and their teachers about the effects drinking
can have on their prom experience. . Kimberly
Flores, 18, of Jersey City wrote, and starred
in, this year’s winning TV PSA.
The Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control
continued its cooperation with The Partnership
for a Drug Free New Jersey this year to
educate young people about the dangers of
underage drinking through two initiatives:
“Listen-Up to the Dangers of Underage
Drinking” Radio PSA Program. Aimed
at middle school students, the “Listen-Up”
program challenged young people to create
a script for a 30-second radio public service
announcement that talked directly to parents
about the dangers of underage alcohol use.
The grand prize winning scripts were produced
in English and in Spanish, and will be distributed
to stations in the New York, New Jersey,
and Philadelphia media market.
The winning English script was written by
Elana Stettin, Erin McMichael, McKenzie
Rawdon, and Amanda Weiss from the E.A. Bogert
School in Upper Saddle River. The winning
Spanish script was written by Soraya Hebron,
Melissa Deowdhat, Faizan Javed, and Aja
Pacheco at Academy 1 in Jersey City. The
students also participated in the recording
of the radio spots.
“Dangers of Underage Drinking”
Billboard/Calendar Competition. This statewide
initiative is designed to encourage middle
school students and their parents to work
together to create billboard/calendar messages
with the theme “Dangers of Underage
Drinking.”
“Middle school students throughout
New Jersey must be informed about the dangers
of underage drinking, and working with the
Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control to
get peer-to-peer public service announcements
out to our state's children has once again
proven to be a success,” said Joseph
“J.P.” Miele, chairman of the
Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey.
“Thousands of students from all over
the state will see and hear the powerful
and important underage drinking prevention
messages released here today.’’
Thirteen winning messages will be featured
on a calendar to be distributed to middle
schools at the start of the 2009 calendar
year. One message will be featured each
month, and the grand-prize winning message
will be displayed on the calendar’s
front cover. Additionally, the grand-prize
winning message will be reproduced on highway
billboards throughout the state.
The grand prize winner is listed below with
the finalists and their schools:
Grand Prize Winner: Kayla Brizuela, from
Howell Middle School South.
Finalists: Rachel Finger and Michelle Sauchelli,
also from Howell Middle School South; Joseph
Arvelo, Randolph Enano and Nicole Ramirez
from Perth Amboy Catholic School; Alison
Ricciardi, Hayley Shaffer, Elizabeth Shea
and Hannah Smith from Oak Knoll School,
in Summit; Jen Ney from Avalon Elementary;
and Erica Stolte from Sayreville Middle
School.
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