Police target = underage drinking - The Macomb Daily (macombdaily.com)

Warren Woods Superintendent Stacey Denewith-Fici probably summed it = up best=20 Wednesday at a news conference focused on the ills of drinking and=20 driving.

The news conference targeted young people who might be = served=20 alcohol at holiday parties. Deneweth-Fici said in most cases kids don't = listen=20 to adults. She said kids learn from other kids. Denewith-Fici said = experienced=20 young adults must tell their peers about the perils of drunken=20 driving.

That's when they listen, she said.

Denewith-Fici = is a=20 member of the Warren Center Line Prevention Coalition, which helps kids = learn=20 how to go through life without alcohol and drugs.

"We in = education work=20 very hard to get the word across to kids but they seem to get the = message a lot=20 quicker when it comes from other kids," Denewith-Fica said.

Jamie = Siefert, supervisor of Mobilizing Macomb Project Remedy, said the cities = of=20 Sterling Heights, Warren, Fraser, Roseville, St. Clair Shores and = Clinton=20 Township have been targeted by police this year with extra patrols. She = said the=20 six communities have a high incidence of alcohol-related = crashes.

She=20 said in 2007 Macomb County had 984 drinking drivers involved in traffic = crashes.=20 Siefert said 277 were between the ages of 16-24. She said 78 percent of = those=20 people lived in the six designated communities.

"All drinking and = driving=20 arrests are taken extremely seriously by the district judges," said = Denis LeDuc=20 of the 42-1 District Court. "Serious jail time is always a potential=20 outcome."

Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said police in Macomb = County=20 have specially designed gifts for anyone stopped for drunken driving. He = pulled=20 out a red Santa's bag, a mug shot sheet, a bed and breakfast coupon (for = a stay=20 in jail) designer jewelry (handcuffs) and a designer outfit that was = jail pants=20 and matching top from "Hack's Fifth Avenue."

"It's not pleasant = for us to=20 arrest anyone," Hackel said. "But if you're caught drinking and driving = you are=20 going to jail."

Judge Mark Fratarcangeli of the 40th District = Court said=20 getting caught drinking and driving can be embarrassing and = expensive.

"A=20 first-time offender can expect to pay in excess of $3,000," = Fratarcangeli=20 said.

Police stressed that it is illegal and wrong for an adult = to think=20 that they can serve alcohol to teens at a house party. Police Chief = Charles=20 Burnett of St. Clair Shores said it is illegal for anyone who is not yet = 21=20 years old to drink =E2=80=94 anywhere.

Burnett said during the = past week his=20 officers raided one house party where they issued 23 violations for = underage=20 drinking and another party where eight violations were handed = out.

"We=20 have aggressively been confiscating the cars from drunks," Lt. Louis = Galasso of=20 the Warren Police Department said. "Last year our officers took 45 cars = and some=20 were from juveniles leaving house parties where drinking was=20 permitted."

Sterling Heights Police Chief Michael Reese said his=20 department often hires youth under the age of 21 to work as decoys to = see if=20 beer and wine store employees will sell to them.

"We have quite a = few=20 bars in our community and our officers are always looking for drunken = drivers=20 who are weaving in an out of their lane," said Utica Police Chief = Michael=20 Reaves.

"I know some people think they can drive drunk that short = distance from a bar to their home but it doesn't work," Clinton Township = Supervisor Robert Cannon said. "It certainly is not worth the risk of = killing=20 someone."

Police target underage drinking