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OJJDP Administrator J. Robert Flores

OJJDP's Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) program 10th Annual National Leadership Conference was held in Nashville, TN, August 21–23. "A Notable History: Forging the Future" was attended by more than 2,000 law enforcement personnel, State EUDL coordinators, executives, government officials, military officials, judges, court personnel, and staff of community-based organizations.

The conference offered information sessions led by national experts and case studies documenting effective strategies for preventing underage drinking. The conference youth track offered opportunities for young people to learn more about effective prevention strategies, hear motivational speakers, engage in team-building activities, and develop action plans for their communities. More than 350 young people attended the conference.

In his address, OJJDP Administrator J. Robert Flores praised the successes and accomplishments of the EUDL program and encouraged those in attendance to continue forging ahead.

The challenges of underage drinking are indeed serious, but through the EUDL network, we have a legacy of accomplishment, and I encourage our partners to share their achievements because success breeds success.

Administrator Flores noted some recent successes of the EUDL program:

• In December 2006, San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit banned alcohol advertisements from public transit. Local communities across the Nation are working to limit youth exposure to alcohol promotions.
• In 2007, the Kentucky State Department of Alcohol Beverage Control visited 2,450 alcohol-licensed establishments, resulting in 91 percent compliance, a significant increase from the 75 percent compliance rate in 1998.
• In Minnesota, 11 local communities have passed social host laws since 2007, and more plan to follow suit. Communities across the Nation are implementing social host laws to better address youth alcohol access issues in social settings.

Administrator Flores noted that many challenges lie ahead. The age of initiation of alcohol use in young people has dropped to as young as 12, and binge drinking rates range from 92 percent for 12- to 14-year-olds who drink to 96 percent for 18- to 20-year-olds who drink.

Several law enforcement awards were presented to both law enforcement agencies and specific law enforcement personnel for their efforts to enforce underage drinking laws. The following agencies were presented with the Law Enforcement Agency of the Year Award: the Kentucky Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control of Frankfurt, KY; the Chapel Hill Police Department of Chapel Hill, NC; the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division of St. Paul, MN; and the Pima County Sheriff's Office/Southern Arizona DUI Task Force in Tucson, AZ.

Law Enforcement Officer of the Year awards were presented to the following individuals: Chief Michael Magnant of the Portsmouth Police Department of Portsmouth, NH; Detective Chip Mercier of the Cobb County Police Department of Marietta, GA; Sergeant Tony Marsh of the Mesa County Sheriff's Office of Grand Junction, CO; Chief Mark Hicks of the Mississippi Alcoholic Beverage Control, Bureau of Enforcement, of Madison, MS.

In honor of the EUDL conference, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean proclaimed August 22 "Stop Underage Drinking Day" at a conference networking event held at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

OJJDP's State Relations and Assistance Division also held its annual conference in Nashville on August 17–19 directly before the EUDL event, allowing many program coordinators to attend the EUDL preconference day event. There were opportunities to network with law enforcement and other personnel they might otherwise not meet to share success stories and strategies. This was also the first EUDL conference in which representatives from the U.S. territories—the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands—attended.

Department of Justice Announces $19 Million in EUDL Funds

On August 21, the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs (OJP) issued a press release announcing block grants of more than $19 million to 50 States, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia to enforce State and local underage drinking laws. The awards were made through the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws program, which supports activities in law enforcement, public education programs, and innovative methods for reaching youth. Through the EUDL initiative, each State, territory, and the District of Columbia received $350,000 in block grants.

"We need to do everything in our power to protect the Nation's best and brightest," said Jeffrey L. Sedgwick, Acting Assistant Attorney General for OJP." This funding will support law enforcement and community efforts to curb underage drinking and save lives."

OJJDP established the EUDL program, the only Federal initiative directed exclusively toward preventing underage drinking, in 1998. The program is a $25 million initiative consisting of block grants to each State and the District of Columbia and discretionary awards to selected States to fund the best and most promising activities and research at the local level.

The awards support a wide range of activities, including compliance checks of retail alcohol outlets to reduce sales to minors, crackdowns on false identification, programs to discourage older youth or adults from providing alcohol to minors, "party patrols" to prevent access to alcohol at large youth gatherings, and "cops in shops" to deter minors' attempts to purchase alcohol.

For more information on the EUDL program, visit the OJJDP Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center online.