We read with great interest the article in the June 9 edition of the Cape Gazette concerning the actions of the “Party Crashers” initiative at an incident in Dewey Beach where 28 teens were cited for underage drinking.
We have been involved in emergency services for more than 40 years. (I am a retired paramedic and my wife was both a paramedic and an emergency department nurse.). Together, we have taken care of countless victims of crashes resulting from underage drinking. These victims include not only the teen drivers, but teens riding with them, and occupants in the other vehicles. These are lives which are forever altered, and sometimes lost, because one often-inexperienced teen driver thought it was OK to drink and drive.
We are frankly baffled by the statements attributed to the parent of one of the teens cited during the incident. Rather than applaud the pro-active efforts of local police and Delaware Alcohol & Tobacco Enforcement personnel to keep his son (and 27 other teens) from doing something really stupid, he takes them to task for their “heavy-handedness.”
Apparently, at least in his mind, it’s OK for kids to drink if they’re “all local kids; citizens of the area” and “weren’t bothering anyone.” How he can claim that the “Party Crashers” initiative is “a political reaction to a problem that doesn’t really exist” defies logic. The problem of underage drinking, and the carnage that often results, is very, very real, as we can personally attest.
The “Party Crashers” initiative is a fair, creative means of preventing the kinds of tragedies we frequently read about, particularly this time of year. The penalties appropriately fit the crime; 30-day license suspension (the equivalent of “you’re grounded”) and a record that can be expunged when the individual turns 21 (hopefully the 50-year-old who supplied the alcohol, and who should have better sense, will be dealt with more severely).
We hope this parent will take a step back and realize that the police and DATE officers have done him and his son a favor, and we pray that his phone never rings in the middle of the night to inform him that his son has been killed or critically injured in a crash resulting from underage drinking.
Glenn Luedtke and Sherry Griemsman
Lewes
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