Think Before You Wink
Grand Island Substance Abuse Coalition
219 W. 2nd Street
Grand Island, NE 68801
(308) 385-5520

Working together with:
Hall County Sheriff's Office
131 S. Locust Street
Grand Island, NE 68801

Project Coordinator:
Randy See
coordinator@thinkb4uwink.com

Enforcement actions, Options:

The following are all programs that currently exist in “Think B4U Wink.”

Covert Underage Buyer Programs/Compliance Checks:

Vigorous use of compliance checks can reduce the illegal sale of alcohol to underage youth. These compliance checks, also known as Covert Underage Buyer (CUB) or decoy programs, are designed to encourage compliance by alcohol vendors. Compliance checks encourage licensees to be diligent in complying with the law and therefore help to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors. Insuring that appropriate consequences are applied to violators is essential because consequences motivate licensees who might otherwise remain lax. It is recommended that compliance checks be conducted by appropriate law enforcement agencies, with support from the underage drinking prevention coalition or organization.

Billboards, Mail outs inserts, Vendor assistance stickers, Pamphlets, Brochures, and presentation assistance:

Billboards:

As you travel across the State of Nebraska, you will undoubtedly run across billboard which target parents of underage drinkers. Think B4U Wink, in partnership with U.S.A. Outdoor Billboards, have an agreement that if a billboard is not rented, Think B4U Wink vinyl’s can be installed until that sign is rented out at no charge.

Mail out inserts:

Mail out inserts targeting the Parents of underage drinkers can be provided to be inserted in utility bills, and or any other mass mailing form any local organization who wishes to participate.

Vendor assistance stickers:

Operation E-Z ID was initiated in the spring of 2006. All establishments which sell alcoholic beverages were visited by local law enforcement for purposes of presenting packets containing information and stickers to assist employees in identifying underage drinkers. The sticker above measures 3” X 5” and can adhere to any cash register, counter door or wall. Several thousand stickers were printed and distributed.

Pamphlets and Brochures:

Think B4U Wink has an extensive collection of different publications and handouts available to participating agencies. For a complete list of available materials, please contact Randy See at coordinator@thinkb4uwink.com.

Public Presentation assistance:

We want to help in getting a Think B4U Wink chapter started in your community. If public speaking is not your cup of tea, we will come out and assist you by making presentations for whatever group you choose. Just let us know when and where.

Video presentations (Volume 1 & 2):

		We are proud to have written and produced two Think B4U Wink videos. Both were created with the idea to stimulate thought in our target audience, the Parents. The first Video is entitled “Not my Kid” is a reenactment of a life changing event one evening in the lives of several teens who chose to go out, drink together and then drive. They end of in a motor vehicle accident where kids lose their life. It shows the knock on the door that every parent fears with the heartbreaking news of their teen never coming home again being delivered by law enforcement in the middle of the night. It also reenacts the officer arriving at the hospital and informing the intoxicated teen driver that her friend has died and she is being charged with motor vehicle homicide.
	This video is very eye opening to most parents and is a must see. If definitely delivers our message by stimulating thought, hopefully for each parent to “Think B4U Wink”. The second video is entitled “How do they get it?” This video depicts the numerous ingenious ways our kids go about getting alcohol. This is also and eye opener for parents and very impactful. Both videos are available, free of charge to all participating in the program.

The following are additional ideas that other communities have adopted. Think B4U Wink currently does not have the follow programs in use with any agencies, however should anyone be interested, we would certainly be open to lending assistance.

Cops In Shops:

Cops In Shops was originally developed in Delaware, but in recent years, the program has been enhanced, packaged and promoted nationwide by the Century Council, a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to fighting drunk driving and illegal underage drinking.

A Cops In Shops program places undercover law enforcement officers, or alcohol beverage control (ABC) agents or inspectors in off-premise stores that sell alcohol. Officers issue citations or make arrests for underage purchase, attempts to purchase, and related violations, including citations for adults who purchase alcohol for underage youth, according to the current law of the jurisdiction where the program is in operation. Training is provided to both law enforcement officials and retailers.

In this program, law enforcement officers and inspectors not only cite or arrest underage youth who attempt to purchase or purchase alcohol illegally, the program also emphasizes the use of publicity as a continuous deterrent to potential underage buyers. Store posters, stickers for cold case storage areas, brochures, posters on buses or in subways, buttons, retail communication and television public service announcements remind young people that if they attempt to buy alcohol illegally, they may be dealing with an undercover law enforcement officer or alcohol inspector.

“Mr. Will You” or Shoulder-Tap Programs:

Young people commonly approach adults and sometimes homeless people who are gathered outside liquor stores, convenience stores or other alcohol outlets and ask them to purchase alcohol on their behalf. The youth generally offer to give the adult buyer money or some of the alcohol in exchange for making the buy.

“Mr. Will You” or Shoulder Tap Programs are designed to address that problem in the following two ways.

Law enforcement officials may be most interested in discouraging adults from making purchases for youth. o They can institute a program, which uses trained young people as decoys (much like a compliance check). o Instead of asking a store clerk or bartender to sell alcohol to them, the young people approach individuals outside of alcohol outlets and ask them to make the purchase. o If the adult buys and hands over alcohol to the youth, a law enforcement officer or alcohol enforcement agent arrests or cites the adult. Often police will find that many of the adult offenders in a shoulder tap program are wanted for other offenses. • Law enforcement officials are interested in discouraging young people from asking adults to make purchases for them. o Undercover enforcement officers “hang out” near alcohol outlets and wait to see if they are approached by young people and asked to purchase alcohol. o Depending upon the laws in the state, youth may be cited or given a warning if they ask an adult to secure alcohol illegally for them.

Alcohol Unit:

As part of the comprehensive underage drinking prevention program called “Drawing the Line on Underage Alcohol Use” in Montgomery County, Maryland, the County’s police department established a special alcohol enforcement unit, with officers from each police district within the county. The Alcohol Enforcement Unit became popularly known as the Whiskey Unit. The Whiskey Unit included eight officers who were specially trained and skilled in managing alcohol-related events and in educating young people and adults about the dangers of illegal underage drinking. These officers also received drug recognition expert (DRE) training which proved extremely useful at many underage parties where officers also discovered marijuana, LSD and other drugs.

Fake or Falsified Identification Program:

Fake or altered identification is often used by young people trying to purchase alcohol illegally. In recent years, the proliferation of computers and high quality printers and scanners has made it even easier for amateurs to produce fake IDs that are difficult to distinguish from genuine licenses or other identification.

Some states have changed the design of their driver’s licenses to make it more difficult to alter them or reproduce them. Many now place holograms and/or bar codes directly on the licenses and/or require that all underage drivers be photographed facing to the side making it difficult to alter a minor’s license. These efforts by the state have made it more difficult — but not impossible – to alter or produce fake IDs.

Every individual who sells or serves alcohol must be vigilant about checking identification. Many restaurants, bars and off-premise stores require that employees check IDs for anyone who appears to be under 30.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) is using technology to help identify underage drinkers who attempt to purchase alcohol illegally. The “Minor ID Checker” is a device that reads the magnetic strip on the back of the state driver’s license, producing a printed record of the card’s information. The license is swiped through a slot much like a credit card payment device. If the person is under 21, a red warning would be printed or if the license was expired, a warning would be printed. The device also helps identify fraudulent IDs as well since they may not have the proper magnetic strip for reading purposes.

Party Buster Hotlines:

Some communities have instituted telephone numbers which adults or youth can call, anonymously, to report stores or restaurants which sell alcohol to youth and parties at which underage drinking is a problem. These hot lines or Party Buster numbers must be well publicized to be effective, but in some cases they can be the key to preventing trouble before it happens.

Pennsylvanians against Underage Drinking (PAUD) have established a party hotline to encourage adults and youth all over the state to report incidents of underage drinking. Using the headline, “If you can dial a phone, you can help put a stop to underage drinking,” the program urges people to take action if they know of any underage drinking occurring or about to occur in their neighborhood. The toll-free number is maintained by the organization and information is referred to the appropriate state and local police departments.

Parents, teachers, neighbors and young people often hear about parties that have been planned or are aware of parties underway, but are afraid or embarrassed to call authorities openly. A hotline offers concerned individuals the opportunity to share information with authorities which not only helps them to enforce the law, but may help them to save a life.