Long days of summer mean more teen drinking parties, police say
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Micah Lease

School is out and replaced by the long, idle days of summer. But with warmer weather and longer days come the age-old problem of police curbing teenage drinking.

Camarillo police respond to more underage drinking parties during the summer months than they do the rest of the year, said Senior Dep. Julie Novak.

Novak, a youth officer with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, said that from July 2006, when the city's so-called social host ordinance went into effect, until July 14, 2007, officers handed out 15 citations where underage drinking was suspected.

Three of the citations were issued in the first two weeks of this month alone- the same number written in all of May, Novak said.

Camarillo's yearold civil ordinance allows police when they find underage drinking to cite a party host, homeowner and/or teenager $500 on the initial call, $1,500 if they're called out a second time and $2,500 for a third visit, all occurring within a year of the first call.

Before Camarillo's new law went into effect, police had to see teenagers drink alcohol before citing anyone. Now officers need only smell alcohol on the breath of an underage drinker to write a ticket.

Valerie Jones

Camarillo modeled its social host ordinance after one passed last year by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.

Sgt. Patti Salas with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department said deputies handed out seven social host citations in Thousand Oaks and two in Moorpark in the first six months of 2007. Hosts and/or teenagers can be cited a $1,000 civil fine each time deputies find underage drinking has occurred.

Novak, said home is the number one place where teenagers get alcohol and that underage drinking often leads to teens committing other crimes, such as drunk driving and sexual assaults.

She, recalls a recent case involving four teenage girls who snuck alcohol into a movie theater. The teens drank so much that two of them needed hospitalization when police found them unconscious. One of the teen's blood alcohol level was 0.20 percent- more than twice the legal limit to drive, Novak said.

Novak recommends parents help their teenagers stay out of trouble by securing the liquor cabinet when they'll be away and keeping them busy in community sports, youth camps or classes.

"Yes, we are being naive if we have alcohol lying around the house," Novak said. "Lock it upShe also said that one of the most effective parenting tools is to ask your teenager questions- find out who they'll be withwhere they're going and when they will return.

"Any time kids have too much time on their hands and not enough supervision it's a bad combination," she said.

Micah Lease, a 16-year-old junior at Adolfo Camarillo Highsaid he's attended teen parties where alcohol was served and parents weren't at home. And when school is in session he hears about a drinking party nearly every month.

Micah said he keeps busy in the summer and out of trouble by going to summer school and football practice. He also works parttime for his dad.

Valerie Jones, also a Camarillo high student, said she too knows of teen parties where underage drinking was going on. The 15year-old said her summer has been active with a part-time job and soccer practice and tournaments.

Please see related article on page 11.