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| 4 April 2002 - Ramona Sentinel Mom pleads guilty to running meth lab Ramon, Julian, Warner Springs and all of San Diego County has been a part of Operation Safeguard during spring break for high school and college students. It is a project targeting a reduction in underage drinking in the county. In the last two weeks law enforcement agencies throughout San Diego County, in a coordinated effort with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the College Law Enforcement Task Force, worked to crack down on home parties, college drinking parties, and underage (high school age) drinking. Officer, deputies, and investigators conducted driving under the influence checkpoints, compliance checks, and should tap and minor decoy operations. “No matter how you calculate the costs, teens who drink are putting themselves at great risk,” said Jo Ann Smith, a prevention specialist for the North Rural Prevention Project. “Every episode of drinking carries with it the risk of injury, relational problems. School problems, unintended pregnancies, victimization, violence, juvenile crime, health problems, legal problems, and death.” Operation Safeguard was kicked off at Mission Beach where representatives from 10 law enforcement agencies, community residents, public health advocates, parent, and young people were on hand on March 22. “It is almost unheard of to have such a complete commitment of resources from so many agencies,” Smith said. “I’m hearing about a lot of kids drinking on weekends, “ said Don Ransom, the director of the Boys & Girls Club – Ramona. “Most recently we lost one of our own as a result (of underage drinking), and these are not bad kids from bad families. I’m encouraged by this public display of commitment to prevent underage drinking and some serious problems.” During last year’s Operation Safeguard, law enforcement agencies conducted over 500 operations, resulting in over 200 arrests and citations, 83 for providing alcohol to minors. “Statistics show that a third of sixth – and ninth-graders get alcohol from their own homes and many teens cite other people’s homes as the most common setting for drinking.” Smith explained. In the last two years, 29 people under the age of 21 who died in San Diego County had alcohol in their system. Half of all teen suicides and rapes involve alcohol. “Laws against young people drinking were designed to protect them,” Smith added. “If the adults in their lives do not take this matter seriously, we cannot expect teens with little of life’s experience to grasp the reality of the consequences they face.” Any person under the age of 21 caught drinking or providing alcohol to people under the legal drinking age could be fined up to $1,000 and be required to complete 24 hours of community service if found guilty. “People, particularly young people, will do what feels good unless they have an overriding reason not to,” said San Diego County Sheriff’s Cpl. Rick Turvey, Ramona resident and member of the C.O.P.P.S. administration. We remove one of the most powerful overriding reasons when we do not consistently and fairly enforce the laws pertaining to underage drinking.” |
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