Enforcement
Newtown Police Department
The Newtown Prevention Council has developed a strong relationship with the Newtown Police Department. Enforcement of underage drinking laws has a strong deterrent effect on underage drinking. Swift and sure enforcement has contributed greatly to nationwide decreases in drinking and driving, and similar results can be achieved with other alcohol-related offenses involving youth.
Research and experience confirm that strong enforcement helps to reduce underage drinking by limiting access to alcohol, reducing opportunities for youth to drink, and curbing impaired driving. Consistent and vigorous enforcement reinforces the message that adults and youth must be responsible for their actions and that violating the law is unacceptable. Enforcement helps to validate the activities of prevention specialists.
Controlled Party Dispersal
A goal of NPC is to support the police department in obtaining training for each Newtown officer in ‘controlled party dispersa’l. This specialized training teaches officers how to recognize potential underage drinking parties while on patrol, than apply a systematic operational plan to close an underage drinking party safely and efficiently.
Underage drinking parties create environments that foster dangerous risk-taking behaviors. House parties can often lead to additional crimes including alcohol poisoning, community disturbances, violence, traffic crashes, property damage, and even sexual assault.
These dispersal techniques enable a limited number of officers to better manage large groups. Ideally, they will help to keep underage drinking participants from attempting to drive away from the party, helping to eliminate some occurrences of “Driving Under the Influence” (DUI) and prevent crashes caused by intoxicated partygoers who panic when officers show up.
The main objective of the training is to promote the best use of enforcement resources while keeping the safety of the officers, partygoers, and community in general in mind.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
Prescription Drug Take Back Day is marketed and implemented in conjunction with the Newtown Police Department. This event aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. The Newtown drug lockbox is located at the Newtown Police Department (3 Main Street). It is a safe and confidential 24/7 drop-off.
Party Patrols / “SUDS” Patrols
The coalition supplies grant funding to the police department to assist with “Stop Underage Drinking & Sales” (SUDS) enforcement operations. SUDS activities include watching liquor stores for underage persons purchasing alcohol, patrolling the areas in Town which are known party spots and/or areas known to be frequented by youth, and entering and conducting surveillance in bars for underage patrons. SUDS activities are also held at various times throughout the school year coinciding with schools events such as Homecoming, Junior and Senior Proms and Graduation.
