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Using Media Advocacy to Support Enforcement of Underage Drinking Laws
 Media advocacy has been an effective strategy in our partnerships with local law enforcement, such as working with the El Cajon Police Department's ABC grant to reduce youth access to alcohol.
Media messages were designed for each of the enforcement operations and we concluded with a final event that celebrated the results of sustained enforcement efforts.
Media planning covered the entire program to support objectives including:
- Reducing illegal underage alcohol sales rates
- Increasing the public perception of risk associated with violating minimum drinking age laws
- Increasing retailer awareness of the penalties for selling to a minor
- Providing businesses with resources and tools to avoid underage sales
- Media materials that were developed included, news releases, opinion editorials, letters to the editor press packets, and briefing information for reporters.
- The final news event (June 2008) focused on a positive celebratory year-end theme. STAAND youth carried the message; "Graduating Class of 2008 thanks law enforcement agencies for keeping youth safe and sober: underage drinking enforcement
 saves lives." This event provided a media opportunity to release the outcomes of the year-long enforcement effort. The event also recognized the participation of each law enforcement agency partner. Four television news stations and the East County Californian (our regional paper) carried the story on both the front page and the opinion section.
The year-long media campaign generated more than 30 news stories (print and television) and reached nearly 750,000 viewers. The enforcement operations documented a significant reduction in youth access to alcohol including:
- A 94% reduction in stores making retail sales to minors, from a high of 58% (June 2007) to only 3.7% (May 2008)
Shoulder-tap operations resulted in a 76% reduction in adults willing to buy alcohol for kids; 32% of adults contacted purchased alcohol for the minor (October 2007) reduced to 5.7% in May 2008
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