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Police learning to deal with underage drinkers at mock parties 03/19/03 By BRAD CROCKER PASCAGOULA-- Pascagoula High School senior March �cCuller stood on the front porch with a beer in her hand and alerted her friends inside the house that "the cops are here." Pascagoula officer George Tillman led a team of officers to the front door of Lindsay Miller's house, where a mock underage drinking party was taking place. Some students ran, while others tried to hide. The party Tuesday may have been fake, but the circumstances and messages learned were real. About 25 officers from every law enforcement agency in Jackson County participated in a control disbursement training, which teaches officers how to handle situations involving underage drinking. With funds from its underage drinking prevention grant, the Jackson County Children's Services Coalition sponsored the event, which was led by Montgomery County, Md., Police Capt. Tom Didone, who assisted in the Washington, D.C., sniper case earlier this year. "It's something to take very seriously," said coalition executive director Kathy Best. More than 30 students from all county high schools, most of whom were from organizations fighting underage drinking and substance abuse, also participated. Officers responded to calls of underage drinking in a house setting and one outdoors to learn various ways of handling each situation. Acting as a belligerent drunk teen-ager, Miller harangued insults and condescending remarks at Tillman and his Try Our Classifieds team like "this isn't fair, this is messed up" or "you can't do this, you need a search warrant" as her brother, Josh, was passed out on the couch with a 2.0 blood level content and ultimately required medical attention. Officers diffused the situation, issued citations and took some kids to jail from both parties. This was the second consecutive year Didone conducted the training in Jackson County, which was selected over 50 communities to host the event. "There is excellent technical assessment among law enforcement agencies here and a very responsive and effective coalition," Didone said. Sgt. Ken Broadus with the sheriff's department and his wife, Nancy, said events such as the one Tuesday are important for officers as well as teens. East Central students Tiffany Cushman and Misty Nelson agreed. "We try to tell our friends it's wrong and not to do it," said Cushman, an eighth-grader. "One of our friends kept doing it until he ended up in the hospital," Nelson, a freshman, said. Agencies learned nationally-accepted practices related to underage drinking such as controlled disbursement, containing the area and releasing children safely back into the community. "It also sends a message that underage drinking is illegal, unhealthy and will not be tolerated," he said. Lindsay Miller and her friend, Lauren Aldred, said it's hard for them to convince their peers that drinking is wrong, and saw Tuesday's efforts as a good middle ground. "Maybe we can band together with the police and help them with what they do," Miller said. Aldred said many teens go through "a viscous cycle" of abuse, but have alternatives for fun or socializing. "There's all kinds of things to do. I've never had one drink and I have fun all the time," she said. Officers' performances are critiqued, Didone said, and each agency will implement what they've learned to better serve their communities. "The hands-on training helps us with the methods by which we go about handling these type things," said Pascagoula officer John Ledbetter, grandson of former Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter. "It can hopefully help prevent further traffic accidents and other fatalities associated with drinking." Mickey Maxwell, who serves on the sheriff's department and the coalition, said alcohol-related tragedies are the number one killer of people ages 16-24. "Our officers are concerned about our young people," said Tillman, a nine-year veteran with the Pascagoula Police Department. Maxwell said he was pleased with the turnout by agencies and students. "We're at the beginning of a long process, but we're getting the message out and we're going to make our communities safer places to live for everybody," he said. Best said the program will run on the organization's TV show Coalition Corner on Cable Channel 61 at 5:30 p.m. every first and third Wednesday.