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| 7 June 2001 - North County Times Operation Safeguard effort nets 212 arrests By Jo Moreland A combined effort to curb underage drinking throughout San Diego County during this year’s spring break has confirmed what authorities have long suspected, officials said Wednesday. Young people are getting their alcohol most of the time at home or through someone they know, said law enforcement officers and others who worked on Operation Safeguard II. Vince Jimno, Operation Safeguard coordinator, said that out of 212 people arrested during the 535 law enforcement operations, 83 were adults who allegedly provided alcohol to minors. “The adults are either selling it to them or giving it to them,” said Jimno, former police chief of Escondido and Carlsbad. “It’s really adults that are a problem…older brothers, older sisters, friends, even parents.” Fourteen law enforcement agencies – including Oceanside, Escondido and Carlsbad police – participated in Operation Safeguard II from March 1 through April 26. The first Operation Safeguard last fall targeted the Labor Day holiday weekend as offices focused on underage drinking. The 83 adults arrested for giving alcohol to a minor were caught during 102 shoulder tap, 221 decoy or eight party dispersal operations, officials said. Conviction could mean a fine of up to $1,000 and 24 hours of community service. The agencies also conducted seven sobriety checkpoints, arresting 65 adults and eight minors for driving drunk. “Parents today can make a much stronger stand,” said Lt. Bill Southwell of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department’s Youth and Family Service Detail. “We are losing kids we don’t need to lose because of promiscuous use of alcohol. It’s a combination of indulgent parents and young adults who want to party with the youngsters.” Nationally, alcohol is the first drug choice among young people, according to the Monitoring the Future Study, 2000. The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office reported that 61 people under age 21 died with alcohol in their system during 1999 to 2000 across the county. Alcohol is a factor in 50 percent to 65 percent of suicides among youth, said the National Institute on Alcohol abuse and Alcoholism. Parents should tell their children that drinking isn’t OK and that it isn’t a rite of passage Southwell said. |
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