New town task force battles underage drinking

Recreation Director Bill Piva has formed a coalition to combat underage drinking after three Mackerel Cove lifeguards, who were accused of drinking while on duty, were fired.

The coalition will host its first forum on Wednesday, July 30, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Recreation Center and the public is encouraged to attend.

Piva said he was more than taken aback by the lifeguard incident. He found it to be a message telling of a societal trend that demands immediate attention, so he forged a partnership that includes representation from the Jamestown Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force, the police union, the Jamestown Recreation Department, the Teen Center and a state legislator to combat the problem head on.

He feels so strongly about the need to address the issue that he took time from tending to a death in his family to make a statement over the weekend.

"Town lifeguards are the last kids in the world anyone would ever expect to do something so irresponsible," Piva said. Lifeguards hold a place in American history that represents courage, integrity, and all the other core values that make us who we are as a society, he added.

"The drinking while on duty was disturbing, but their cavalier attitude toward their actions made the incident worse than disturbing," Piva said. When asked why they did it, they told him, "Nobody was in the water. The weather was bad, so we decided to drink a few beers before it was time to go home. It was no big deal," Piva quoted them as saying.

He said that the fired lifeguards never showed the slightest remorse for their actions, nor did they apologize.

"The point is, they don't take the law seriously," Piva said. "Neither do they understand the ramifi cations or implications of what they did." He said that the flippant attitude teens have about drinking and the laws against it comes from parents and other adults who make light of seemingly ambiguous legislation. According to Piva, the laws are not strict enough and do not address everything they should.

State Representative Bruce Long (R-Jamestown, Middletown) who is involved with the forum said he could not agree more. "There are loopholes in the law," Long said. If an underage person has been drinking and he or she is not caught with an alcoholic beverage in their hand, no law has been broken. The state has no legislation covering "internal possession." The person can only be charged if another law is broken.

Piva explained that the lifeguard who was charged with drunk driving was not charged with underage possession of alcohol. She was charged with first offense erratic operation of a vehicle while she had a blood alcohol content of .10 to .15. This is a misdemeanor, Piva said. The first offense is not considered a crime.

Long and Piva both said that parents and other adults who allow underage people to drink in their homes are sending a distorted message to young people. "If adults don't consider the matter serious, neither will their children," Long said.

"For some reason, many parents think it is perfectly all right for their teenage children to have a beer or drink wine in the confines of their home," Piva said. "And they know that being drunk, even though they are minors, is not an infraction of the law."

Long said the laws must be changed. He has introduced new legislation for next year that would close many of the loopholes and make the ordinances concerning underage drinking more effective.

Teen coordinator Debbie Tungett said that the forum will be attended by Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force Coordinator Laura Hosley, Representative Long, Officer Mark Esposito from the Jamestown Police, Piva, and herself.

Tungett said that a North Kingstown parent who lost a child to a drunk driver was invited to speak, as well as officer Esposito, and Glen Miller, a professional in the field of substance abuse, who will offer tips and practical information.

Long, a staunch advocate of substance abuse prevention said that he will personally cover all expenses incurred for the forum, like the fees charged by Glen Miller, the substance abuse prevention professional, for his time and expertise.

Tungett said that the recreation department plans to offer training classes to all new and seasonal employees who work with children and teens in the spring before the summer season begins.