Press Release
ENFORCING UNDERAGE DRINKING LAWS: A DECADE OF SAVING LIVES
Law Enforcement, Community Advocates, & Youth Unite at Underage Drinking Prevention Conference
August 14, 2008 – Nashville On August 21 to 23, more than 1,700 law enforcement officials, community advocates, and concerned teens from Tennessee and across the nation are joining forces once again at the National Underage Drinking Training Center’s (UDETC) 10th Annual Leadership Conference to learn the latest strategies and tools to prevent underage drinking in their communities.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and co-sponsored by the National Liquor Law Enforcement Agency (NLLEA), the three-day National Leadership Conference is designed to support OJJDP’s Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) Program.
“We are proud of what we have accomplished over the past 10 years. Since the inception of the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws program we have been working tirelessly to keep our nation safe from the tragic consequences of underage drinking,” said J. Robert Flores, Administrator for OJJDP. “Tools and strategies are available for communities to reduce the number of preventable injuries, crime, and deaths linked to underage drinking. The costs and consequences of underage drinking are significant and we are determined to provide local communities with the tools they need to combat this serous problem.”
Underage drinking is estimated to cost the United States some $60 billion a year and over 63,000 youth 12- 20 years old were admitted for alcohol treatment in the United States in 2006 alone.
The conference will highlight several of the one hundred plus success stories that have been achieved over the last ten years. Additionally, a number of law enforcement agencies will be recognized for their leadership on enforcing underage drinking laws in their communities. Among the awardees will be: the Kentucky Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control; the Chapel Hill Police Department; the Minnesota Department of Public Safety; and the Pima County Sheriff’s Office/Southern Arizona DUI Task Force. Representatives of these agencies will be available for interviews during the conference.
Agencies and communities that have participated in the UDETC conference, and received help through the EUDL program have seen positive results. A recent study by the Pacific institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) shows that states with strong laws against the use of fake IDs report 7 percent fewer alcohol-related fatalities among youth.
There will be many opportunities for members of the media to interview participants of the conference.
Members of the media are also invited to ride along with Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission as they conduct random compliance checks at local liquor stores using undercover decoys that will attempt to purchase alcohol on Thursday, August 21, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
For more information about the conference, ride-alongs, or to arrange an interview with conference participants, please contact the media relations specialists listed below, or visit www.udetc.org.
About the National Leadership Conference
Called “A Notable History: Forging the Future,” the 2008 conference will include a celebration of the ten-year anniversary of EUDL. The conference will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center. The conference includes workshops that feature scientific, evidence-based solutions to problems related to underage drinking; awards given to leaders in their communities on this issue; and a youth track in which hundreds of youth will be showcasing their efforts to prevent and reduce underage drinking among their peers in their communities.
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Contacts:
Joshua Heath Craig Steinburg
Policy Impact Communications Policy Impact Communications
(703) 303-7839 (703) 839-5883
jheath@policyimpact.com dhiatt@policyimpact.com
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