Stop underage drinking
Clinton area Police Chiefs and Clinton County Sheriff Kangas want teens in Clinton County to have a fun and memorable experience at this year’s prom. To ensure that teens stay safe, he is reminding them and their parents that underage drinking is not only dangerous but it is against the law.
“You can’t have a memorable experience at prom if you are unable to remember any of it because you have had too much to drink,” said Sheriff Kangas.
The consequences of underage drinking are serious and not always what students, or their parents,expect. Every year, underage drinkers kill or seriously injure themselves or others in alcohol-related vehicle crashes. Others go to jail or receive expensive citations from police. In some communities, however, a partnership between law enforcement and school officials prevents students who have been caught drinking from participating in extracurricular activities. It is an alternative consequence that makes risk-taking behavior an unpleasant experience for teens.
Clinton area Police Chief’s and Sheriff Kangas offer the following tips to prevent underage drinking and keep this year’s prom safe for everyone in the community:
• Parents and other adults must remember that underage drinking is against the law. Not only is furnishing alcohol to someone under age 21 a crime, it sends the wrong message.
• Parents and teens both need to understand that “everybody is doing it” is just plain Wrong! Being liked should never mean giving up your personal responsibility or caving in 10 social pressures. Parents have an obligation to set boundaries that tell teens which behaviors are appropriate and which are not.
• Everyone in a community is responsible for preventing alcohol-related injuries. At prom time retailers, limousine drivers, hotel owners, and others in the community have a responsibility to report suspicious activity to law enforcement.
Suspicious activity may include:
o Drinking and/or visible intoxication of a youth
o Someone purchasing a large quantity of alcohol, furnishing alcohol to a minor, or a teen using a false ID.
o Prom parties hosted in hotel rooms
Sheriff Kangas warns, “Be safe on prom night. If you are a teen, don’t drink or use drugs. If you are a parent, remain vigilant about what your teen is doing. By making it inconvenient for kids to drink, you just may save a life.”
Sheliff Wayne Kangas
Clinton County Sheriffs Office
Chief Michael Madden
St. Johns Police Department
Chief Brian Russell
DeWitt Township Police Department
Chief Bruce Ferguson
DeWitt City Police Department
Chief Scott Rose
Bath Township Police Department,
Chief Al Good
Ovid Police Department
Mr. Charles Sherman
Clinton County Prosecutor’s Office