CdA police focus on underage drinking

Coeur d’Alene cops are cracking down on underage drinking with the help of a federal grant that pays overtime for officers to go on party patrol.

The first of six to eight emphasis patrols targeting “party houses” was Memorial Day weekend. That Friday, officers issued nearly 30 citations for minors in possession of alcohol and a DUI.

The $7,500 grant Coeur d’Alene Police received from the state’s Department of Juvenile Corrections aims to curb a spike in underage drinking citations in Coeur d’Alene, Sgt. Bill Tilson said in a release.

Tilson said one of law enforcement’s biggest challenges is the juvenile crime rate – which goes hand in hand with underage drinking.

In 2005, officers issued about a ticket a day related to underage drinking. In 2006 there was a 150 percent increase and the incidents continue to increase.

The police department’s emphasis patrols are scheduled for weekends throughout summer and holidays considered “high risk times” for underage parties, Tilson said. Police will use a portable breath testing instrument to detect whether underage youth have been drinking.

The Memorial Day emphasis patrol resulted in three minor in possession charges stemming from a traffic stop near a party at 10th and Montana.

Officers broke up a party on the 700 block of Sherman Avenue after police were called in response to a fight that resulted in injuries. Three minor in possession citations were issued, along with a DUI. One person was arrested on a felony warrant.

Twenty minor in possession citations were issued to underage revelers at a party inside a home on the 1300 block of Lakeside Avenue.

Coeur d’Alene Police Sgt. Christie Wood said officers found about each party through calls about fights or noise.