Now that the college school year is underway, area police agencies gathered at Texas A&M San Antonio to get some tips on the very sensitive issue of how to safely break up the underage drinking parties which are certain to occur, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
It is called Controlled Party Dispersal Training, and Anne-Shirley Schreiner of the private group Texans Standing Tall, says it is one of the riskiest activities police engage in.
"The Controlled Party Dispersal Training allows law enforcement to control the number of partygoers fleeing the scene while safely rounding up the remaining attendees, contact parents and guardians of minors who have been drinking, and identify and hold responsible those who supplied the alcohol for the party," she said.
Schreiner says the last thing police want to have happen is for a bunch of drunken college kids to jump into their cars and speed off into the night when a police raid is underway.
She says 75% of people under 21 identified 'house parties' as the place most of their peers drink illegally.
Schreiner says that is why Host Accountability Laws, like the one in place in San Antonio, is such a useful tool for keeping kids safe.
"Police can come in and they can write a citation for those who are providing alcohol, and providing a place for the kids to consume alcohol," she said.
She says the average age when a person in Bexar County consumes his or her first alcoholic beverage is 11, which means a significant number of children are drinking younger than that.
She says another goal of Texas Standing Tall is to assist with the enforcement of laws prohibiting the sale of liquor to those under the age of 21, and to inform the community of the importance of breaking up underage house parties as a way to cut down on drunk driving, and to keep the young people and the entire community safe.
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