Underage Drinking Enforcement

In 2006, Michigan drivers age 20 or younger were 51% more likely to be involved in a HBD crash than older drivers and "zero tolerance" arrests per licenses driver age 20 or younger were 85% lower than drunk driving arrests for older drivers.

Law enforcement activities are critical to limiting underage alcohol access and consumption as well as reducing the consequences of underage drinking, i.e. traffic crashes, binge drinking, assaults, and vandalism.

Traditional police responses to underage drinking generally result in no enforcement action and rarely are the situations used as an opportunity to educate youths, their parents or the community as a whole.

Underage drinking enforcement is unlike traffic enforcement - rarely do officers get in a patrol car, drive around and find minors drinking alcohol. Successful underage drinking enforcement relies upon good investigative work to reduce the access and consumption of alcohol.

Enforcement efforts should find a balance between high-visibility enforcement as a means of preventing teens from drinking and using grant dollars by serving as security at a school event.

Grand Funded Overtime Enforcement

Funds can be used for overtime enforcement in the following ways:

Community and/or school events, such as proms, sporting events, fairs or festivals. The project director should meet with event planners prior to showing up at an event. Security for special events is the responsibility of the event planners; observing the event by officers is not an acceptable use of grant funds. Officers are expected to patrol parking lots, perimeters and other areas where teens may be able to consume alcohol.

Compliance checks at on- and off-site liquor licensees. Further information from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission is included in this section.

"Cops in Shops" where law enforcement officers work cooperatively with retailers to cite minors who attempt to purchase alcohol. Minors should be cited when using false or fraudulent identification to purchase alcohol and when they approach adults to purchase alcohol for them.

Party details that are either scheduled in advance or are in response to a tip. Enforcement action should include citations to minors who are drinking as well as the adults who are providing the alcohol. Source investigations send the community a strong enforcement message.

Funds cannot be used for community and/or school presentations or events.

Funds cannot be used for "shoulder-tap" operations. A shoulder tap operation is when an underage decoy approaches an adult, asking them to purchase alcohol. If the adult does purchase the alcohol, the adult would be cited and/or arrested on the spot.

Funds cannot be used to purchase alcohol during compliance checks or to pay decoys for their time spent conducting compliance checks.

If you would like additional information, please contact Dianne Perukel at 517.333.5337 or perukeld@michigan.gov