LTC 250-2002
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CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. o25()."d~-
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From:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez \.Alh//-
City Manager () I" - ()
I,Jnderage Drinking Prevention Initiatives
Date: October 28, 2002
To:
Subject:
The purpose of this Letter to the Commission is to provide the Mayor and Commission with
a status of the Police Department's on-going efforts regarding the prevention of underage
drinking.
The human and financial costs of underage drinking are staggering. Nationwide, 6,390
teenagers were killed in car crashes of which 2,239 were under the influence of alcohol.
This represents 36.6 percent offatal accidents. In Florida, 378 teenagers were killed in car
crashes of which 116 teenagers were under the influence of alcohol.
Alcohol is implicated in the three top causes of teen deaths. The financial costs of
underage drinking approach $53 billion in accidents, drowning, bums, violent crime, suicide
attempts, fetal alcohol syndrome, alcohol poisoning and emergency medical care. It is
estimated that children under the age of 21 drink 25 percent of the alcohol consumed in
the United States. More than five million high school students (31.5 percent) admit to
binge drinking at least once a month.
In its effort to curb this problem in our community, the Police Department formulated the
"Undercover Buyers Program Preventing Underage Drinking" proposal to the Governor's
Drug-Free Communities Grant Program. The program's goal is to reduce underage
drinking by vigorous law enforcement and education. This is accomplished by conducting
undercover attempts to purchase alcohol by utilizing underage confidential informants at
establishments that sell alcohol. Those individuals selling alcohol to these confidential
informants are charged with violation of the law and are issued an Arrest Affidavit that
releases them on their own recognizance with a promise to appear in court at a later date.
Statistical data is maintained on all establishments visited under this program. In the past
year, 152 persons have been charged with selling alcohol to individuals under 21 years of
age. Additionally, the Strategic Investigations Unit conducts an educational component of
the program with members of the Nightlife Industry and Responsible Vendors.
The State of Florida Governor's Office for Drug-Free Communities has found our Police
Department's proposal to be innovative and effective. Because of these merits, the
Governor's Office funded the program for FY 2001/2002 in the amount of $47,000. The
program has been renewed and funded for FY 2002/2003 in the amount of $39,430.
These grant awards do not require a matching contribution by the City.
LETTER TO THE COMMISSION
October 28, 2002
Page 2
The Police Department is committed to reducing underage drinking and its horrific toll on
American society by using strong enforcement measures and an open dialogue with the
nightlife industry. There has been a noticeable increase in compliance by those selling
alcohol since the inception of this program. It is through the combined effort of the Police
Department and businesses that sell alcohol that this endemic problem can be positively
impacted.
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F:IPOLlITECHSERVlPOLlCIESICOM_MEMOIUnderage Drinking Prevention Initiatives LTC 2002.doc