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Chances are that somewhere this weekend, a group of students in Western New York will gather around a beer keg.
Between the parents who adhere to the "it's better off under my roof" theory, and the kids who gather to burn their notebooks and celebrate the end of the regular school day, it is the traditional time for underage drinking parties.
"We are coming to the last few weeks in June, and that's when most of the parties occur, whether they are in their homes or one at graduation and prom parties, " says Richard Engler, a Town of Tonawanda officer assigned to Kenmore West High School
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Drinking continues to be widespread among adolescents, as shown by nationwide surveys and studies in smaller populations.
According to data from the 2005 Monitoring the Future (MTF) study, an annual survey of U.S. youth, three-fourths of 12th graders, more than two-thirds of 10th graders, and about two in every five 8th graders have consumed alcohol.
And when youth drink they tend to drink intensively, often consuming four to five drinks at one time.
Source: National Institutes of Health
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How prevalent they are is a hard thing to measure. Each year the region sees at least one major bust with charges filed against several students-- the most recent case last week in Boston. But law enforcement says that was just the start of the traditional time when these things happen.
Allegany State Park is often the place where kids talk of parties taking place, but no major busts have been made there according to several of the "resource officers" in area schools.
"They go all over, they try to go far away, but we usually find out about it. We are always listening for them, and if we do find out about them, I will send patrols,"according to Joseph DePlato, a NYS Trooper who works as the "school resource officer", an in school educator and investigator assigned to Iroquois High School in Elma.
DePlato says the parties are the same as they always have been, with the exception of occasional prescription drug use.
Adds Tonawanda's Engler: As far as I can remember, back to the 80s when I went to school, there is always going to be high school parties."
To help prevent the trouble, DePlato recommends a "trust but verify" approach, saying "talk to the parents whose house they are going to. parents have to communicate with each other. " He also says his presence in schools makes it easy for kids to police themselves.
"Truly, most of my information does come from the students, he says.
The issue came to the forefront for the first time this season, with the arrest of 31 students in the town of Boston last weekend at a party that first came to police attention through an officer like DePlato at a school a few districts over from Boston.
Erie County Sheriff's Deputies filed 91 charges, against 31 youths, and the man who owns the property where the drinking occurred. (Continue reading)
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WNY Illegal Party Tipline: 800-851-1932
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What do teens think about alcohol? | Not everyone drinks! | Alcohol is a drug. How can it hurt your body? | How much alcohol would it take to affect a person? | What exactly do "impaired" and "intoxicated" mean? | What is binge drinking? | What is the law?
(cont'd from above) Police pulled up to a Lower East Hill Rd. address in the Town of Boston, and found dozens of kids with alcoholic beverages. The 31 youths were charged with Unlawful Possession of Alcoholic Beverage by a Minor.
The homeowner, 57 year old Paul Taylor was charged with 31 counts of Endangering the Welfare of a child, and 31 counts of Unlawfully dealing with a child. Taylor is however not unique.
"There have been underage drinking parties and adults have been at quite a few of them," says Marian Bowman, who runs the Genesee Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse's multi county tip-line.
"And we have had several parties where parents have been there and have been called in and the Sheriff's department has gone out there and broken up these parties and saved lives," says Bowman.
The hotline - 800-851-1932- which started with Genesee County now serves Erie as well
"We are the fourth county to sign up with that," says Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard. "..We have already had 19 calls in Erie County since we signed up with that three months ago"
Law enforcement in past years have focused more on bars and places of purchase where minors buy alcohol, but are also concentrating more on adults who purchase alcohol for kids, according to Matt Smith, at Western New York United Against Drugs & Alcohol
" I know a lot of parents who do allow these parties to take place are well intended, (but) they basically are giving in to the notion (that it's) a foregone conclusion," Smith says.
"What I say to those parent is that you might be successful that night, you might not be. plus there are other implications beyond ..what takes place under your roof that night. If you allow the party to happen, you are sending the message that the law doesn't matter, you can break the law. ..And kids that are allowed to drink just don't confine their drinking to that supervised environment. The big deal is when young people drink, they tend to binge drink. " Smith says.
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