Underage Drinking Targeted

, as part of the Blackstone Valley Drug Task Force, will receive part of a $10,000 award as one of 38 grants to local police departments from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security to combat underage drinking. 

A total of $280,000 in grants, funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and awarded on a competitive basis, varied between $5,000 and $15,000 based on the size of the community. Member departments of the Blackstone Valley Drug Task Force, including Grafton, Northbridge, Sutton, Uxbridge, Douglas, Blackstone and Millville, applied for the grant together so they could increase their chances of receiving grant funding.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 33% of 15 to 20-year-olds who were killed in crashes nationwide in 2009 had a blood alcohol content of .01 or higher. Additionally, young drivers tend to engage in other risky driving behaviors while drinking, such as speeding, distracted driving, running red lights, making illegal turns, and not wearing seat belts. 

In 2009, 70% of the young drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes who had been drinking were also unrestrained.

There are many tools to combat underage drinking, and this grant provides much-needed funds to target the problem. Whether you are underage, plan to sell to a minor or buy alcohol for a minor, the Grafton Police Department will be on the lookout. 

The grants will fund a variety of law enforcement activities including stings/compliance checks in bars, restaurants and retail locations; reverse stings; “shoulder tap” and “Cops in Shops” programs; and party patrols. 

Through a combination of these techniques, departments will be able to analyze and crack down on both minors who seek to circumvent the law and those people and businesses that allow them to. 

Teens and parents need to be reminded that underage drinking is deadly serious. Parents need to know that hosting a party where alcohol is being served to minors is not only illegal, but is extremely dangerous for their teens, for others in the community, and for the parents themselves given the legal liabilities they face.

Any loss or injury on our roadways is one too many. The Grafton Police Department, in partnership with Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, recognizes that traffic crashes are preventable, and is committed to using this grant to reduce the number of motor vehicle related fatalities and injuries in Grafton and Blackstone Valley Drug Task Force member communities.

Normand A. Crepeau Jr. is Grafton's Chief of Police.