Party+Patrol_Understanding+the+problem

ISSUE:

__How serious is the problem?__
Party patrol has existed since April of 2008. North Kingstown Police find underage parties, especially ones where alcohol/drugs are being used, take names of the minors present, sometimes arrest them, and distribute DUI's and DWI's. They often also interrogate innocent minors who are not partaking in any illegal activities.
 * How long has it existed?
 * What are its effects?

The "effects" preciously mentioned are more like the NK Party Patrol's "intentions" or "purposes." This is what they want to do. They want to blow up parties and bust kids that are doing things illegally, such as under aged drinking. This is what should be happening. That is the law and that is what is correct to do. What's ACTUALLY happening is cops are showing up at parties when there is no "probable cause" that something such as under aged drinking is actually occurring...they just feel the need to show up and knock on the door because there are cars parked outside. This is unreasonable because this entails cops interrogating kids, asking them what they are doing, their name, phone number, address, date of birth, parents' names, etc. This is occurring when their is no suspicion of underaged drinking, other than the fact that there are a group of teenagers hanging out. A group of teenagers hanging out does NOT necessarily mean that they are drinking, smoking marijuana, etc. Cops are basically not following proper regulations of **legitimate** probable cause. Primarily minors and often times their parents. Can also affect adults whose parties get busted because of complaints. 
 * Whom does it affect most?

Parents are being forced to worry when there is nothing in particular to be worried about. About a month ago, I was with two of my friends, walking through a neighborhood towards a kids house for a party. We were walking from where I had parked my car down the road. As we were walking, a saw a few kids on the way, walking from their cars. We all walked together to this kids house, talking (doing nothing wrong). We were almost there when a cop rolls up, asking us what's going on and we said we were going to a kids house for a party. We did not say the kids name and we did not say which house we were going to - this kid's parents were home, and we didn't want to cause any trouble between him and his parents. We weren't doing anything wrong anyway, so I think we all felt there was no need for this question. The cop insisted that he had smelt alcohol. My two friends and I had not been drinking, and there was not a drop of alcohol on us. We weren't sure about the other kids around us, however, no one seemed to be intoxicated and my friends and I never smelt any alcohol. However, the cop proceeded. He took our names, addresses, date of birth, our parents' names, and our phone numbers. I felt it was completely unnecessary. Afterwards, he simply asked us who drove and who came with who. He then went up to everyone who said they had drove and gave us "eye tracking" sobriety tests. We all passed them. He then told us to get back in our cars and go home. Other than the fact that this process was ridiculous, violating, and utterly unnecessary. One of the friends I was with called her mom when we were in the car. She just wanted to tell her what happened, how obsurd it was, and how everything was fine and we were going to go back to my other friend's house. Her mom went ballistic. She was very concerned about the cop taking down her daughter's name and what "book of names" it was going to go in. She worried if the the names were going to be sent to the high school, and thought maybe her name would go on a record. Think about it: all we did was walk to a kids house. //Parents are being forced to worry when their is nothing in particular to be worried about. // Tax dollars will go to waste because the party patrol policy is accomplishing nothing.
 * What will happen if it is not solved

Most likely nothing will happen. Kids will continually get arrested, names taken, etc. because most minors arent going to stop partying because a cop busted them. This policy will not change the opinions and the actions of what minors do.

__What are the causes of the problem?__
Party Patrol was primarily started because of the amounts of DUI's in North Kingstown RI. Drinking and driving, or being in a car with someone who is impaired has led to many deaths in Rhode Island. Party Patrol was set forth to eliminate these hazards.
 * Is it related to other problems? If so, how?
 * What are people doing about the problem?
 * Nothing. Minors usually dont care/follow the policy so the policy isnt going to be effective. Some adults, parents, police may be supporting it, but nothing is really being done except making the policy more and more strict.
 * In this community?
 * In other communities?
 * What proposals are there for taking care of the problem?
 * Who is working on the problem or is interested in it?
 * Some parents, some adults without children, some state officials, and some police officers. Other parents, adults, officials, and police think its a waste of time,money, and effort.
 * What debates are there about the problem – its causes, effects, and proposed solutions?