Prevention Council

Providing Substance Abuse Education, Information and Referral Services

Editorial: Arrest a reminder of dangers of underage drinking

Seen in: The Daily Gazette
Link to full article: https://dailygazette.com/article/2019/01/13/editorial-arrest-a-reminder-of-dangers-of-underage-drinking

For many kids, exposure to alcohol at a young age can be a harbinger of other problems

What’s the big deal?

The kids were all in the house. They were safe. They weren’t out running the streets causing trouble. They weren’t doing hard drugs.

So what’s the problem when adults condone underage drinking in their home?

That’s the question a lot of people might be asking following the arrest of a Wilton couple and their 20-year-old son for hosting an underage drinking party on New Year’s Eve.

In all, about a dozen kids age 17-20 were at the party, where the adults supplied the alcohol, the venue and the alibi.

In the wake of the opioid epidemic, bullying, distracted driving, the dangers associated with social media, and other issues facing teenagers these days, it would be easy to push underage drinking to the bottom of the worry pile.

But underage drinking is now, just as it was a decade ago and decades before that, a pervasive problem in our society that we can’t afford to stop taking seriously.

According to the Prevention Council — a Saratoga Springs-based nonprofit organization that works to prevent alcohol, drug and other substance abuse — alcohol remains the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States.

Each year in the U.S., more than 4,300 people die as a result of underage drinking — either through motor vehicle accidents, suicide and homicide, and accidental overdose.

When parents condone or — in the Wilton case — encourage and support underage drinking, they’re contributing to the damaging effects that alcohol has both immediately and in the long-term on children who are too young to handle it.

According to the Prevention Council, 11 percent of all the alcohol consumed in the United States is by underage drinkers, age 12-20.

Within any 30-day period, more than a quarter of kids will consume alcohol and more than 17 percent of that group will binge drink, which can lead to alcohol poisoning and other issues.

Drinking, especially by youth, can contribute to a whole host of health and social issues, including poor attendance and performance in school; dangerous and inappropriate decisions due to behavioral issues; problems with memory and thinking; depression; low-self esteem and in some cases suicide.

Young women and girls in particular can often find themselves in dangerous situations due to alcohol use that can lead to rape and sexual assault, sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy.

While kids today seem to be more cognizant of the dangers of drunk driving and have more means than older generations to get home safely, such as ride-sharing and cabs, many kids still make the bad judgment of drinking and driving. And when kids do it, they’re often distracted by friends in the car and their phones, which can make their adventures on the road even more dangerous to themselves, their passengers and other motorists.

For many kids, exposure to alcohol at a young age can be a harbinger of other problems, including abuse of tobacco and drugs and alcohol-dependency as adults.

When parents support their children’s drinking by hosting parties for them and their friends, it sends the message that there’s no harm in what they’re doing.

That potential harm is the precise reason why we place age limits on alcohol and tobacco consumption in the first place.

But if parents and other adults — the people who have direct contact and influence with children — don’t understand or respect the problems that alcohol use among young people can cause, then the threat to our children’s health and well-being will continue and get worse.

Underage drinking was and is still a serious problem.

We need to continue to take it seriously and to do what we can, starting in our own households, to stop it.

July 15 is a special day for Ballston Spa resident Sean Kelleher

By Lauren Mineau for The Saratogian>>

July 15 is a special day for Ballston Spa resident Sean Kelleher. He’ll be three years sober and attending a film screening at Bow Tie Cinemas that he brought to life.

“The Anonymous People,” a film on the reality of addiction is being brought to the Spa City at 7 tonight through a combination of crowd-sourcing, The Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council of Saratoga County and Kelleher’s efforts. He saw the film and said it opened his eyes to the world of advocacy and he thought he’d give it a try.

“This is a way for me to give back. This film approaches recovery in a new way. A lot of people see the fun, dramatic and ridiculous side of addiction, that’s not the reality,” he said.

The film features interviews with some of the 23.5 million Americans facing long-term recovery from drug and alcohol addiction and appearances from actress Kristen Johnston, former NBA star Chris Herren, Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner and former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, who are all in recovery themselves.

Kelleher never expected the film to gain so much momentum, but the screening sold out within six weeks. In fact, Bow Tie Cinemas upgraded the screening to a larger theater as of Monday afternoon to accommodate the crowd.

“When I set up the page, I thought ,‘This will never happen.’ I never expected to be watching ticket sales go up every day,” he said, “I’m really excited about the way this turned out. Addiction is here and it affects everyone in one way or another.”

He immediately felt connection to the film when he learned the director shared the same connection with July 15 — director and film producer Greg Williams also marks each year of his sobriety that day.

“I kind of thought it was meant to be,” Kelleher said.

Janine Stuchin, executive director at The Prevention Council, said this screening is part of a dialogue they hope to start in Saratoga Springs.

“Addiction is a chronic illness, and those suffering are the same as HIV or breast cancer survivors, we need to get around the shame of addiction and spark some discussion,” she said.

The film features interviews with those struggling with addiction and questions the stigma surrounding it, especially in American society. The film’s stay in Saratoga was brought together by Gathr, a service that works by giving people the chance to unite and rally for a certain film to be brought to their town. Once a certain amount of tickets are reserved, Gathr works to bring the screening to life, as requested.

“This film is not your tired old addiction story often seen on reality television or in the news,” Williams said in a press release. “There are no needles hanging out of people’s arms, pictures of the brain, or fried eggs in a pan. We set out to find the answer to one very fundamental question: Why don’t we treat addiction in this country like any other health issue?”

On July 22, the group will host a follow-up discussion at 7 p.m. at the Saratoga County Arts Council.

“A lot of people have a hard time asking for help, and I’d like to do my part to change that,” Kelleher said.

Alcohol, Drug Use in Schools Discussed at School Board

May 16, 2013
SaratogaWire.com
By Laura Rappaport

Back in 2000, preteens in Saratoga Springs were drinking alcohol at alarming rates. Twenty-five percent of 8th graders and 20 percent of 7th graders surveyed said they’d had a drink in the past month – even nine percent of sixth graders said they had.

This was clearly not healthy and the community decided to do something about it. Through outreach, education and parent involvement, things began to turn around, according to the Prevention Council, Saratoga’s non-profit substance abuse prevention umbrella organization.

Twelve years later, use by sixth graders is so low that they aren’t even surveyed any more. And middle-schoolers in general seem to be abusing drugs and alcohol less.

Now the concern is ninth grade, with that stressful transition from middle to high school setting kids up for more risky behaviors.

The number of students reporting that they have had a drink or smoked marijuana in the last 30 days doubled from eighth to ninth grade, according to the just-released results of a bi-annual survey conducted in the fall by the Council’s Partnership for Prevention.

“That difference between middle school and high school is a big issue,” says Robin Ambrosino, the Prevention Council’s marketing and communications manager.

The Partnership’s Youth Survey asks kids in 7th through 12th grades a battery of questions about their drinking and drug habits, and – almost more revealing—what they think their peers are doing. They also surveyed parents about their attitudes toward substance use and what they think their kids are up to.

On Tuesday, Ambrosino presented the results of the 2012 Youth Survey to the Saratoga Springs City School District Board of Education. It was designed to assess substance abuse; anti-social behavior; and risk and protective factors that predict problem behaviors.

The transition from 8th grade to the high school “brings with it a significant increase in substance abuse,” says Ambrosino. It’s not known exactly why, but, she says, the move to the big school is stressful. Saratoga Springs kids also have a perception that high-schoolers are drinking and doing drugs, even if it’s not actually the norm.

“They sense a culture of use when they get to high school… Their sense that it’s here drives that behavior.”

For example, she says, 53 percent of this year’s ninth-graders believed that classmates drink, while just 22 percent of them actually reported drinking in the past 30 days.

Even seniors’ perception is skewed: about 75 percent think their peers drink, while 52 percent reported they do.  Still, that number is some 12 points above the national average, and is troubling to prevention workers.

Indeed, Saratoga Springs 10th and 12th graders reported drinking, binge drinking and smoking pot at 10 points above the national average for their age groups.

“The community needs to band together to provide positive outlets for that angst and craving for excitement that kids this age feel,” Ambrosino says.

Across the board, cigarettes are the only substance with a continually declining use rate.

Marijuana use reflects the slow steady rise nationally, she says. This could be partly due to efforts to legalize the drug in some states.

“The numbers get quite big in 10th grade and 9th is trending up,” Ambrosino says.

Prescription drug use is still low in Saratoga Springs. “This has been a tricky category for us,” says Ambrosino, noting that although kids are talking about it, “the numbers are not bearing it out right now.” They might have experimented, but aren’t using regularly.

Overall, she says, “the perception is that there is much more drug use here than there actually is.”

A funny thing about perception is that parents often put on rose-colored glasses when discussing their own children.

In last fall’s parent survey, 86 percent said their children never use alcohol, but a large number of high school students report not only drinking, but binge drinking – consuming five or more drinks in a row. Binge rates were: 14 percent of freshmen; 25 percent of sophomores; 26 percent of juniors; and 32 percent of seniors.

The parent survey was available on SurveyMonkey.com in January and February. Of the thousands of parents in the target group, 387 responded.

After all its work on teen health over the past dozen years, the Partnership for Prevention’s federal grant ends in September, and the organization will undergo severe cutbacks.

Ambrosino says that parents, teachers and community leaders all play key roles in curbing adolescent substance abuse. The Partnership recommends that collaboration continue among organizations that work with youth. The school district should enforce policies regarding substance use, and make clear, strong positive messages about staying sober. The district can also continue the youth survey in a less expensive online format.

“We want prevention to be part of what they hear about in school and at home,” she says.  “After 12 years, we feel very glad that we’ve established these relationships and that prevention is on the agenda of the community.”

– See more at: http://saratogawire.com/article/1173/130516-school-board-hears-about-drug-use/#sthash.X9qyfS7f.dpuf

Dangerous Ways Teens are Getting Drunk and High

FOX23 News
February 21, 2013

When it comes to the latest trends of teens drinking and getting high, some of the ways alcohol is being manipulated will shock you.

Plus, the products kids are using are likely on your grocery list.

74 percent of high school seniors in Saratoga County alone admit they have used alcohol, according to a survey conducted by the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council.

But how they’re getting drunk and high is a lot more dangerous than you may think.

“I got tired of the things that I felt from smoking weed and drinking and I just wanted to experience something that I had never felt before,” says a teen who used.

“Jason” is 23-years-old and started getting high off cough syrup when he was 18. NEWS10 agreed to hide his identity.

“There was a period of time that I was using cough every day for about a month,” he says. “I felt as if I was having an out-of-body experience.”

Students from a Saratoga County high schools say they know people like Jason.

“I think the issues have increased and they’re going to be bored with the regular ways to get high and drunk by the time they get to high school,” says one student. “You have sixth and seventh graders who are participating in these activities.”

Gail Moore, the Outpatient Program Director at the Addictions Care Center in Albany says teens are looking for newer and more experimental ways to get drunk and high.

“We’re seeing kids in the suburbs who are really bored, will put anything in their bodies,” says Moore.

One of those things is hand sanitizer – made up of 65 percent alcohol. It’s being distilled with salt, filtered, and then consumed.

“When you take in these products, you’re not just taking in the ethyl alcohol,” says Dr. Jill Braverman-Panza. “Things have other things put in them like hand sanitizers, have benzyl chromium chloride to stop you from drinking them.”

Another option is gummie bears and hard candy soaked in vodka, alcoholic whipped cream, or Jason’s choice, cough syrup.

“I didn’t know anything about addiction,” he says. “I didn’t see myself becoming an addict. I thought everyone was doing it and that I would be able to use and have fun, but if I needed to stop I could just stop. But there was no stopping.”

So what do you do as a parent?

Experts say it may seem simple, but monitor your medicine cabinet.

Plus, irritability is a big sign of cough syrup use. Experts say a hangover from cough syrup is actually worse than a hangover from drinking alcohol.

With so many variables now involved that go beyond just a bottle of alcohol, parents have a lot more to learn.

“It’s a dangerous experimentation, you’re playing with your life,” says Jason, who is now a recovering heroine addict at 23-years-old.

He says within two years, the cough syrup use led to cocaine, prescription pills, and finally heroine.

He is now clean and in an addictions care center with a felony record; but sober and resolves to remain that way.

Survey Aims to Assess Parent Awareness of Kids’ Drug and Alcohol Use

January 28, 2013

POSTED BY Laura Rappaport
Saratoga Wire

What do parents know about their kids’ drug and alcohol habits? That’s a question the Saratoga Partnership for Prevention asks every two years.

The Partnership is asking parents of kids in grades 7-12 in the Saratoga Springs City School District to take a brief online survey about adolescent alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use by going to Survey Monkey. The process is completely anonymous and takes less than 15 minutes.

The parent questionnaire is the companion survey to the Youth Prevention Needs Assessment given every other fall to all Saratoga Springs 7th – 12th graders. It’s designed to track the attitudes and perceptions of a random sample of Saratoga Springs parents, says Robin Ambrosino, marketing and communications manager for the Prevention Council, which houses the partnership.

It’s also a way to gauge the similarities and differences between parents’ perceptions of teen behavior and the behavior teens actually report. Results of both surveys will be publicized in April.

“We want to find out if parents think their kids are engaging in the behaviors that kids say they are,” Ambrosino says. “What we’ve found over the years is that parents underestimated by a pretty large margin the behaviors kids are participating in,” she says. What it comes down to is that many parents think their high school kids are not drinking beer or smoking pot, but kids report they are doing those risky – and illegal – things.

The good news, however, is that drinking is down at Saratoga Springs High School. Ambrosino says that in 2008, drinking by SSHS seniors was well above the national average, but it’s been coming down over the past few years.

Sixth graders are no longer surveyed because in the past their answers showed such a low rate of drug and alcohol use.

She notes that while there is a big spike in drinking and drug use when kids enter ninth grade, that jump isn’t actually as big as it’s reputed to be.

Thus, she says, one goal of the Partnership for Prevention is to help the community change perceptions and the culture at the high school. So, while kids think it’s cool to drink in high school, the community needs to show them it’s not – and kids need to be aware that just because they’ve started high school doesn’t mean that everyone’s experimenting with alcohol.

“Fewer kids drink than they think,” Ambrosino says.

She said while some kids inflate their usages rates, the surveys have built-in checks and balances that help weed out questionnaires that have inconsistent responses.

In order to have a representative adult sample, 350 parents need to complete the 23 questions on the online form. Parents’ answers will be used to help the Partnership plan parenting programs, community events that send consistent messages about underage substance use, and ways to support families as their children progress through the teen years, Ambrosino says.

The Saratoga Partnership for Prevention is a program of the Prevention Council. It is made up of youth, parents, and individuals representing key sectors and organizations concerned about youth in the Saratoga Springs school district.

The survey continues through mid-February.

County leaders reject proposal to close bars earlier

July 2, 2012
By Michael Cignoli
The Saratogian

The city of Saratoga Springs’ request to change last call to 3 a.m. was dealt a crushing blow Monday afternoon when a key county committee declined to support the initiative.

The City Council voted in June to send a resolution to the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors urging the board to ask the New York State Liquor Authority to roll back last call throughout the county from 4 a.m. to 3 a.m. as a way to improve public safety and reduce police costs.

The state Liquor Authority, which would have had the final say on the issue, has previously said the county Board of Supervisors is the only legislative body that can formally request to change last call.

On Monday, the county’s Legislative and Research Committee voted 5 to 1 against advancing the proposal to another county committee and then to the full board, effectively killing the initiative.

A supervisor could still technically make a motion to bring the issue before the full Board of Supervisors later this month, but the chances of such a motion being approved are slim.

The county’s tiered committee process is designed to vet out ill-fated resolutions or requests.

“If it has merit, they move it forward,” Saratoga Springs Supervisor Matthew Veitch said. “If they don’t believe it has merit, they don’t move it forward.”

Veitch said he has “no plans to bring it up at the full board,” and Saratoga Springs’ other supervisor, Joanne Yepsen, the lone Legislative and Research Committee member to vote for the proposal, said she would speak to the City Council before deciding.

The council is scheduled to meet tonight.

City Finance Commissioner Michele Madigan was the lone City Council member to attend the county committee meeting Monday.A supervisor could still technically make a motion to bring the issue before the full Board of Supervisors later this month, but the chances of such a motion being approved are slim.

The county’s tiered committee process is designed to vet out ill-fated resolutions or requests.

“If it has merit, they move it forward,” Saratoga Springs Supervisor Matthew Veitch said. “If they don’t believe it has merit, they don’t move it forward.”

Madigan, who voted for the change in June, and Yepsen said they were both under the impression that city Accounts Commissioner John Franck and Public Safety Commissioner Christian Mathiesen, who both endorsed the last call change, would be allowed to make a presentation to the county committee in August. They thought Monday’s meeting would just be a discussion.

Yet Edinburg Supervisor Jean Raymond made a motion to not back the proposal, saying there was nothing that would change her vote. She said she believed it would take money out of the pockets of business owners and that it was not up to the government to dictate business practices.

“There is no way I’d vote to put businesses in my town or businesses anywhere in this county out of business,” Raymond said. Four other supervisors agreed.

Reached by phone Monday, Mathiesen said he was “flabbergasted and very disturbed” by the vote.

Malta Supervisor Paul Sausville, the committee chairman, noted the City Council didn’t attach any monetary data or evidence to its resolution requesting the change.

Madigan said Mathiesen and Franck were getting ready to prepare that data for the committee’s August meeting.

“It really doesn’t serve the interests of the people of the county or of the city,” Mathiesen said of Monday’s “surprise” vote. He remains steadfast in his position that the city’s downtown late at night is an ongoing problem, particularly Caroline Street, which requires a heavy police presence.

More than 200 Dave Matthews Band concert-goers ticketed at SPAC

Tuesday, June 12, 2012
By Lucian McCarty
The Saratogian

SARATOGA SPRINGS — More than 200 people received tickets or citations at the Dave Matthews Band concerts Friday and Saturday.

But with no felonies and only a smattering of misdemeanors, police and prosecutors are calling the weekend’s police presence successful.

Both weekend shows sold out, bringing 50,000 people to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

“In past years, the Dave Matthews Band concerts have resulted in serious felony cases,” said Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III, who cited a fatal, felony driving while intoxicated accident and a sexual assault at previous Dave Matthews Band concerts at SPAC.

“We were kind of holding our breath,” he said.

But thanks to an increased police presence at the concerts and the “zero-tolerance alcohol policy,” Murphy and police agreed that the weekend was a success.
“The general consensus is that it went very smoothly,” New York State Parks spokesman Dan Keefe said.

Police patrolled the parking lots, trails and paths and checked cars at the gate for alcohol, which officers confiscated.

The Saratoga Springs Police Department had eight officers making traffic stops each night.

Lt. John Catone said officers did not see any major increase in DWIs. “It seemed to go well,” he said.New York State Park Police alone issued 121 tickets and made 17 arrests. At the 2010 Dave Matthews Band concerts, they issued 152 tickets.

In all, 68 of the tickets they issued this year were citations for underage drinking, 10 were for unlawful possession of marijuana and 14 were for disorderly conduct, all violations. That compares to 145, 18 and seven for each of those violations, respectively, in 2010.

The rest of the tickets were for sundry crimes, including four for driving while intoxicated, one for seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, two forgeries and three assaults, all misdemeanors.

In addition, the state Department of Motor Vehicles sent field agents to the concert to check IDs. They netted 80 violation charges and confiscated forged IDs, many of the sophisticated variety ordered online from overseas forgers.

Similar IDs were confiscated by the Saratoga Springs Police Department in an April bust of Saratoga Springs High School students and recent graduates.

“Saratoga PD saturated the roads with checkpoints while the state park police patrolled the parking lots,” Murphy said. “The state DMV did an outstanding job keeping teenagers from drinking.”

The minors ticketed over the weekend at SPAC received violation citations. Murphy said as a result they may lose their license for up to a year, incur a fine and be required to take an alcohol-awareness class.

Only one woman was uncooperative, Murphy said, running into the crowd as her ID was confiscated. He said that individual is being sought by DMV investigators and will be charged with a felony.

Law enforcement cracking down on underage drinking during prom, graduation season

May 21, 2012

By Michael Cignoli
The Saratogian

BALLSTON SPA — Local law enforcement officials have a message for graduating high school seniors: if their graduation celebrations include alcohol, a diploma may not be the only piece of paper they receive.

Saratoga County STOP-DWI Coordinator Robert Murphy said police will be on the lookout for, and ticketing, underage drinkers during all local graduation ceremonies and post-graduation parties.

Addressing the Saratoga County Traffic Safety Board Monday afternoon, Murphy said overtime funding for the additional police presence has been authorized through the county’s STOP-DWI program, which is funded through fines paid by convicted drunken drivers.

Murphy said additional overtime has been authorized to allow officers to combat driving while intoxicated over Memorial Day weekend.

The move comes on the heels of the program’s authorization of additional police overtime during high school prom season — which stretches into mid-June — and law enforcement agencies throughout the county stepping up their presence to deter underage drinking and drunken driving.

The Saratoga Springs Police Department reported no arrests related to Saturday night’s Saratoga Springs High School prom, city police Sgt. Andrew Prestigiacomo said. But there were some driving while intoxicated arrests over the weekend, he said.

Murphy said law enforcement agencies throughout the county relayed similar messages following proms in their areas, the bulk of which were held this past Friday and Saturday. Ballston Spa and Shenendehowa will host their senior proms next month, but Murphy said the results thus far have been encouraging.

“It was really good,” Murphy said. “All of the schools made an effort and worked together.”

Murphy is now hoping for a similar effort during next month’s graduations. Ten schools have clustered their graduations between June 21 and 23, while Mechanicville’s is slated for June 30.

Officers are not as worried about drinking at the graduation ceremonies themselves as they are about the after-parties, Murphy said.

Local teen recognized 
The Traffic Safety Board on Thursday also recognized Ballston Spa High School junior Katy Stringer, one of six winners in a statewide “Save Your Friend’s Life Over the Airwaves” contest.Stringer produced a 30-second public service announcement on the dangers of drowsy driving that will air on three local radio stations to promote safe driving among teens.Drivers ages 16 and 17 cause approximately 140 drowsy driving crashes each year, according to the state Association of Traffic Safety Boards, the contest’s sponsor.

Murphy, who said drowsy driving can be just as dangerous as driving under the influence, presented Stringer with a $200 check that Ballston Spa’s Class of 2013 can use to fund things like safe post-prom activities.

Editorial Perils of alcohol and inaction

 

April 20, 2012
Reader’s View Editorial
By Brian Farr

Fourteen young people and one parent were recently arrested in an international identification fraud ring, and all to acquire alcohol. Once again I feel a responsibility to remind people about the dangers of this drug, even in our picturesque city.

I would like to shake the hand of the woman who spotted the underage purchaser and spoke up. Very courageous, and she may have saved a life with her actions by preventing an alcohol- fueled tragedy. I have a hard time fathoming what the father who assisted in these crimes was thinking.

As a substance abuse counselor for over a decade in our fair city, I have continually run into similar parents and adults whose heads are buried deep in the sands of denial as they tell themselves “it’s only alcohol,” or “if I allow them to drink at my house they will be safe,” or, like the ignorant adult who assisted these teenagers in acquiring the fake IDs: “Even if it might get someone seriously injured, raped or killed, at least my kids and their friends will think I’m cool.”

It remains at the top of the list as the leading cause of preventable accidents, sexual abuse crimes, and death among teenagers. And that even applies in Saratoga.Young people get a mixed message here. Saratoga tends to encourage addiction, even if Todd Garafano would rather that we did not talk about that because it may affect revenue. I get it. It’s his job to sell our addictions to people.I wonder if he has taken the time, like Christian Mathiesen, whose job it is to try to keep us all safe, to go down to Caroline Street in the wee, violent hours of the morning to face the truth — it is toxic down there.

Toxic is the perfect word. A powder keg of bad potential. The death of a young man a few years ago was not enough to change things. Nor was the preventable, drunken riot during the last year.

But Saratoga and many Saratogians do not want to hear or think about that. We like the money from alcoholism and gambling addiction. It keeps the flower beds watered and helps with all the construction of any free space left. Keep that money coming!

There is more to Saratoga than addiction and greed. In fact, there was a conference in town last weekend that proves it.

Many of you may not have heard about it because the 1,000 or so young people that attended did not wreck Caroline Street, or riot, or contribute to the available toxicity. These young people had all made a choice to live their lives abstinent from alcohol or drugs.I hope they had a great time here. I also hope that our local youth and parents will learn from their example that not everyone needs to use drugs to have “fun.”

Brian Farr is a substance abuse counselor who lives in Wilton.

Bar and club owners meet with city officials and police

March 9, 2012
By LUCIAN McCARTY
The Saratogian

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Spa City bar and club owners met with city police, New York State Liquor Authority representatives and other state and local officials Wednesday to go over the responsibilities of alcohol distributors before the city’s upcoming tourist season.

“By bringing everyone together, we all heard the same message,” Saratoga Springs Police Lt. John Catone said.

Also in attendance were representatives from the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office, the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, Saratoga County Prevention Council and state Department Division of Licensing. The meeting was meant to coordinate efforts between police and bar owners heading into the city’s busy summer season.

“It had absolutely nothing to do with bar closing times,” Catone said, emphatically.

The lieutenant was the person responsible for organizing the meeting. He met with state Liquor Authority representatives in January to get the ball rolling on it.

Catone said the meeting was designed to ensure all of the bar and club owners were aware of their responsibilities.

For instance, a state law passed in 1992 mandates that bouncers at local bars are state-certified security guards, a law Catone said is widely ignored or unknown.

“In most cases, I honestly believe they didn’t know,” he said.

While not every bouncer would be licensed by St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, a notoriously busy day downtown, Catone said he hopes most will be licensed by racing season. The facilities that do not comply with those laws can face hefty fines, and individuals in some cases can face criminal charges.

Other topics included Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS), which covers guidelines and laws about serving alcohol and regulations for bartenders.

“Everybody learned something,” Catone said. “We’re trying to build a partnership here instead of us-versus-them.”

Catone said “pretty much every bar on Caroline Street was represented but one.” He would not name the one absent establishment.

Public Safety Commissioner Christian Mathiesen, who has advocated for closing bars earlier, said something needs to change on Caroline Street. “What happens late at night downtown is not a safe environment,” he said. “We need to make sure the bar and club owners take responsibility.”

He said that includes the bartenders, who “need to take responsibility for the alcohol they serve,” to ensure already intoxicated individuals are not served more alcohol.

The meeting also comes before what may be an unseasonably warm St. Patrick’s Day. The last St. Patrick’s Day with unusually high temperatures was the scene of the fatal hit-and-run of Ryan Rossley, a topic that was discussed at Wednesday’s meeting.