Agenda Cover Memorandum Meeting Date: July 9, 2012 Item Title: Underage Drinking Disposition Action Requested: Approval For discussion Feedback requested For your information Staff Contact: Frank Kaminski, Chief of Police Phone Number: (847) 318-5261 Email Address: fkaminsk@parkridgepolice.org Background: Attached is an email from the Community Health Commission and letter from MCYAF with recommendations regarding underage drinking. Recommendation: Budget Implications: Does Action Require an Expenditure of Funds: Yes No If Yes, Total Cost: If Yes, is this a Budgeted Item: Yes No If Budgeted, Budget Code (Fund, Dept, Object) Attachments: Rev 03/07/12
Delk, Kathryn Subject: FW: RE: Underage Drinking Ordinance -----Original Message----- From: Peter Ryan Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2012 12:30 PM To: margaret polovcheck; Kaminski, Frank Subject: Fw: RE: Underage Drinking Ordinance Frank and Margaret- Please see below regards the email I received requesting endorsement of Maine Community Youth Assistance Foundations position on the underage drinking ordinance. I would be happy to forward to the commision members and discuss your more recent email (with attachement asking for the Commissions support) at our next meeting which will be on August 23, 2012. Please accept our best wishes and thanks for all your good work on behalf of the City of Park Ridge. Pete --- On Sun, 7/1/12, Peter Ryan <pnryan@sbcglobal.net wrote: From: Peter Ryan Subject: RE: Underage Drinking Ordinance To: "Rich DiPietro" Cc: Peter Ryan Date: Sunday, July 1, 2012, 12:13 PM Rich The Park Ridge Community Health Commission (PRCHC) voted on the Action Item referenced above at our last meeting 6/28/2012. The Commission unanimously approved the following language found in the email send by Maine Community Youth Assistance Foundation Director Margaret Polovchak on April 13, 2012: All youth violators should be required to receive an alcohol and drug assessment by a certified practitioner. The youth should further complete all education and treatment recommendations. And: Youth and parents should be required to attend an education program... Further, the Commission unanimously rejected any "fine only" option. Thank you for your help as our liaison and for distributing this email 1
to all those who will find it helpful and informative. Peter N. Ryan Chair, PRCHC 2
Maine Community Youth Assistance Foundation 2720 S. River Rd., Suite 128, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018 Ph: 847-858-7090 Partners Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and Children s Hospital City of Des Plaines City of Park Ridge Cook County Dept of Public Health DEA Chicago Task Force Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce Des Plaines Ministerial Association Des Plaines Park District Des Plaines Police Department Des Plaines Public Library Illinois Liquor Control Commission Maine Center Inc. Maine Township Niles Police Department Northwest Community Hospital Notre Dame College Prep Oakton Community College Omni Youth Services Our Lady of Destiny Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce Park Ridge Fire Department Park Ridge Police Department Park Ridge Recreation & Park District Park Ridge Rotary Club Rep. Rosemary Mulligan Rep. Elaine Nekritz School Districts 62, 63, 64, 207 Sen. Dan Kotowski St. Mary s Church/Heart of Mary U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky Skokie Court House Staff Directors Margaret Polovchak Andrea Bateman Communications Coordinator Cheryll DeYoung Social Norms Coordinator Jaime Hecker Grant Coordinator Kim Radoy Prevention Coordinator Tricia Williams June 28, 2012 Park Ridge Public Safety Commissioners City Of Park Ridge 505 Butler Pl. Park Ridge, IL 60068 RE: Adjudication of local ordinance violations related to teen drug and alcohol use. Commissioners: We are writing you requesting that you sign on in agreement with the following recommendation to Park Ridge city officials. This recommendation was adopted by MCYAF committee of the whole on this date. Teen drinking and drug use are matters of health and safety. In order to preserve and promote the optimal health of our young people, we ask you to consider the following factors related to consumption of alcohol and drug use: Health Factors: 1. The human brain is not fully developed until a person s early to mid 20 s. 2. When introduced to the teen brain, alcohol, tobacco and drugs are proven to alter its growth and development in the frontal lobe and hippocampus, brain areas responsible for high level executive functions such as decision making and reasoning. 3. Teens who start drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to have a substance use or abuse problem as adults. 4. The road to addiction is much shorter for teens, on average 6 months vs. 2 years, for an adult. Rose Garlasco President Vacant Vice President Safety Factors: 1. Teens don t drink to enjoy a glass of fine wine or bourbon; they drink to get drunk. 2. Because the teen brain is not fully developed, teens have diminished judgment and reasoning capabilities. For the teen drinker, the result can be and often is: driving impaired, riding with someone who is impaired, inflicting violence on others and/or fighting, unwanted or unprotected sex, or alcohol related accidents such as falling or blood alcohol poisoning and death. Jim Lange Treasurer Vickie Poklop Secretary Trustees Deb Dezelan Ed Dubowski
3. Due to their young age, they are inexperienced in the realm of alcohol and drug use and therefore don t know their personal physical reactions and limitations, resulting in the increased likelihood of blood alcohol poisoning. 4. When kids drink, they make very poor choices and can be victims of crimes and suffer significant harm or damage (for example, sexual assaults, battery). Current Park Ridge municipal code requires those issued underage drinking violations to select paying a fine only or a combination of a reduced fine and either an education program or community service. A review of the 2011 disposition data indicated that approximately 40% select a fine only, 30% choose a fine and education program, and 30% select some combination of a fine and/or community service. Based on best practices in the field of teen substance use prevention and intervention, it is our recommendation that the Park Ridge City Council adopt the following policy and procedures in the adjudication of teen drug and alcohol incidents: 1. All youth drug and alcohol violators (both high school and college age under 21) be required to receive an alcohol and drug use assessment and complete all education and treatment recommendations by a certified practitioner. This is currently a common practice on most college campuses and in other local communities. This provides the child and parent with critical information for early intervention of any potential substance use/abuse issue. 2. Parents of high school youth should be required to attend an education program (as is current practice among our local providers). 3. In lieu of a minimal fine, it is recommended to increase the fine only option to a fine up to $1000. If the fine only option is chosen then proceed with reporting the violation to the Secretary of State. This is a growing practice among communities (including Niles). This provision will aid in directing the family and teen to the desired and most appropriate option, one that includes assessment, education and treatment if needed. 4. Ten percent (10%) of all collected fines be directed to support teen substance abuse prevention in the manner deemed most appropriate to meet local community needs at the discretion of the Park Ridge Health Commission. Funds will support evidence based prevention practices proven to decrease teen substance use which may include current local initiatives: Parents Who Host Lose the Most, Sticker Shock, Class Action, Alcohol EDU, All Stars, Social Norms Marketing, Social Marketing, Stay Out of My Room, MCYAF Youth Advisory policy initiatives, prescription take back activities, and retail compliance check recognition. Respectfully, Adopted and agreed to by committee: Margaret Polovchak Director Park Ridge Public Safety Commission Ald. Raspanti, Date: