Substance abuse prevention

Regional Enforcement Efforts

South Kingstown

• Cops n' Shops: Utilizing undercover police officers to assist local liquor establishments in curtailing the use of false identification and misrepresentation of age by underage persons. (Paid for by the State Incentive Grant)
• Compliance Checks: Use of underage person to assist police officer in a mock attempt to purchase alcohol at liquor establishments. The purpose is to enforce that all establishments are adhering to laws in the misuse of identification, selling, and serving underage person. (Paid for by the State Incentive Grant)
• Compliance Checks Responsible Beverage Service Certification: police officers systematically check all servers and sellers at liquor establishments have been certified in Responsible Beverage Service by an approved trainer as stated by RI General Laws. (Paid for by the State Incentive Grant)
• Park Patrols: Police officers are systemically patrolling local parks and events in the unlawful use of alcoholic beverages in public places. (Paid for by the State Incentive Grant)
• Operation Blue Rip Tide: Additional police in marked patrols are targeting drunk drivers.

Narragansett

Narragansett is fortunate to have two synergistic grants that are blanketing the community with increased police presence, especially on the weekends. Narragansett Youth Task Force and the Common Ground Grant at URI have pooled their enforcement funds to provide many weekend overtime details by the police.

• Cops n' Shops: utilizing under cover police officers to assist local liquor establishments both taverns and package stores, in curtailing the use of false identification and misrepresentation of age by underage persons.
• Party Patrols: additional rounds of overtime police details providing surveillance in neighborhoods.
• Compliance Checks: use of underage person to assist police officer in a mock attempt to purchase alcohol at liquor establishments. The purpose is to enforce that all establishments are adhering to laws in the misuse of identification, selling, and serving underage person.

Chariho Area (Charlestown, Hopkinton, and Richmond)

As part of a federal State Incentive Grant, the Chariho Tri-Town Task Force is working with the police departments in the Chariho area to increase or enhance enforcement efforts of identifying underage youth with regards to purchasing alcoholic beverages and driving under the influence. The Chief of Police of each of the departments in the Chariho area (Charlestown, Hopkinton, and Richmond) have fully endorsed the activities sponsored by the Chariho Tri-Town Task Force to promote substance abuse awareness and prevention.

The Chariho Tri-Town Task Force has purchased two (2) portable Fake/Fraudulent ID Scanners for use by the Hopkinton and Charlestown Police Departments for checking age identification at retail package stores in the communities to discourage the attempted purchase of alcoholic beverages by underage youth. In addition to using the scanners at package stores, the scanners have also been used at public events in the area to control underage purchase of alcoholic beverages at the event. The scanners are used randomly throughout the communities.

Of the approximately 1500 scans, several violations have been reported and many fake/fraudulent ID's have been confiscated by the police. Often the presence of the officer making the scans at the various locations serves as a deterrent to potential underage purchasers.

The Chariho Tri-Town Task Force is also working with the Richmond Police Department by funding additional hours for members of the department to support Shoulder Tap Enforcement and Enforcement of Impaired Driving Laws (The Richmond Police Department is currently a part-time department that closes at 12:00am each night. Emergency police coverage for the town is provided by the Rhode Island State Police after 12:00am).

• Shoulder Tap Enforcement involves the assignment of a plainclothes officer to the parking lot of a licensed liquor store and one uniformed officer nearby. The plainclothes officer would take appropriate action if an underage person asks the officer to purchase alcoholic beverages for him/her. The plainclothes officer also monitors the store patrons and notifies the uniformed officer if an adult appears to purchase alcoholic beverages for an underage person. The uniformed officer may then stop the vehicle and take appropriate action for both the adult and the underage person.
• Enforcement of Impaired Driving Laws involves the assignment of a uniformed officer in the area of a licensed liquor establishment looking for motorists who may be intoxicated.

From March 2005 through April 2007, the Richmond Police Department reports that the Shoulder Tap Enforcement and Enforcement of Impaired Driving Laws initiatives have resulted in prosecution of the below listed violations:

The Chariho Tri-Town Task Force will continue to work with local law enforcement agencies to enforce existing laws relating to alcohol and substance abuse and promote substance abuse awareness and prevention.