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The Paly Voice

The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

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Police department changes strategy to deal with underage drinking

The Palo Alto Police Department is in the process of drafting an ordinance to present to the Palo Alto City Council this summer as one of its several heightened efforts to reduce teen drinking.

[THIS IS A BEGINNING JOURNALISM EXERCISE]

The ordinance would prohibit alcohol in private homes where more than a specified number of adolescents under 21 is present at a social event. The idea for a “party ordinance” was brought about by several drinking incidents in the past years, and other similar ordinances in nearby Bay Area cities.

Johnson and fellow police officers are also taking what they’ve learned from past cases of underage drinking to include proper measures of the ordinance.

“We realized [in the past] there have been certain situations where one invites a few people, and additional people come and bring alcohol,” Johnson said.

Among other cities that have taken upon related measures to tackle teen drinking, the City of Los Gatos addressed the problem by establishing a party registration line, Johnson said. The phone line is designated for party hosts to call prior to an event in a private home incase assistance is needed to control attendees, according to Johnson.

Johnson said that the party ordinance by itself would not be enough to stop teen drinking. The effort to solve the problem “has to include young people, parents and schools.”

The Police Department is also taking other measures to heighten awareness and regulate sources of the problem. Easy access to alcohol for teenagers in restaurants and local drug stores is a strong contributing factor according to Johnson. The Police Department plans to conduct more sting operations in the near future and give “kudos” to law-abiding restaurants as encouragement for retailers to follow the law.

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