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April is “Alcohol Awareness Month” to educate public about dangers of drinking
Hazelwood, Mo., (April 6, 2009) – A $10,848 grant from the State of Missouri was
recently awarded to the Hazelwood Police Department to conduct operations involving
the enforcement of underage drinking laws.

This announcement is timely since April has been designated as “Alcohol Awareness Month” and efforts are underway to help educate parents, youth and drivers about the dangers of drunk driving and underage drinking.

This is the second consecutive year that the Hazelwood Police Department has received such as grant. Funds are made available through the Missouri Department of Public Safety and the Missouri Juvenile Justice Advisory Group and from the U. S. Departmentof Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The Hazelwood Police Department uses part of the grant to support on-going activities to reduce underage drinking and the purchase of alcoholic beverages by local minors. These activities include investigations conducted by local police officers at area liquor establishments that sell package liquor and alcoholic beverages by the drink.

“Part of the grant allows for us to use underage youth buyers, who work with the
Hazelwood Police Department,” said Sgt. Timothy Burger, supervisor of the Traffic
Management Team and Special Operations Group.

“They enter the establishments under strict protocols and the supervision of undercover police officers. These youth attempt to make a purchase of an alcoholic beverage and their encounters with the store clerks are witnessed by an officer. Depending on what happens, the observing officers identify themselves after the transaction is completed or denied.”

Burger points out that if the clerk denies the transaction, a record is kept at the police station indicating that the establishment is in compliance with State and local laws regarding the selling of alcoholic beverages to minors. “If the clerk fails to deny the
purchase, the officers identify themselves and action is taken in the form of a police
report which triggers the issuance of a summons and possible arrest of the violator.”

Another portion of the grant covers the prevention of underage drinking parties and
controlled dispersal of these parties. According to Burger, “We conduct operations on a regular basis to identify and locate the place of youth drinking parties and try to prevent them from occurring ahead of time.”

In addition, extra man-power is provided to conduct controlled dispersals of drinking
parties when they are located. This includes parental notifications, safe transportation
and the enforcement of applicable laws if necessary.

For more information on Hazelwood Police Department’s efforts to enforce underage
drinking laws, contact Sgt. Timothy Burger at (314) 513-5228.

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