The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office and the LaPorte County DUI Task Force has announced that it will increase enforcement and patrols around prom and post-prom sites this spring, with a goal of deterring alcohol use and eliminating alcohol-related crashes among high school prom attendees.
Proms will start Saturday, April 28th, for Marquette, New Prairie, South Central, and Westville High Schools, and will continue through Saturday, June 2nd when Michigan City High School will host their prom and post-prom. The DUI Taskforce will saturate the areas around each prom and post-prom site in an effort to deter potential alcohol and drug use, with zero-tolerance toward the consumption and possession of alcoholic beverages. Those who provide alcohol to minors will be targeted and jailed.
This year, however, an additional enforcement strategy will be in place through a grant funded by the Local Coordinating Council of the Drug Free Partnership of LaPorte County and coordinated by the Michigan City Police Department. The project, titled Suppressing Minors from Alcohol and Substance Harm, will employ officers and deputies tasked with seeking out underage drinkers.
The LaPorte County DUI Taskforce has several suggestions for parents to help ensure their child remains safe at, and after, prom: take an inventory of the alcohol in your home and secure it, do not rent hotel rooms for prom-goers, make a pact with their children to provide a safe ride with no questions asked, ensure your child takes a cell phone to the prom and require them to check-in regularly, know your child’s date, and consider hosting an alcohol-free post-prom party in which your child’s friends are welcome to spend the night.
