HOULTON – When parents go away and leave teenagers at home either overnight or for longer periods, many simply trust that their teens will not have parties in their absence.

Now, however, parents have another tool to keep their kids safe and help prevent underage drinking – a program offered by the Houlton Police Department.

The department now is implementing the Police and Community Together, or PACT, program to help deter underage drinking. As part of the initiative, parents who will be away from home overnight or for a longer period and who are leaving youth ages 15-19 at home can fill out a form at the Police Department to have officers do random patrol checks of their property. On the form, parents can list their contact information and also the plate numbers of any vehicles that are authorized to be in the dooryard of the home.

“Should we investigate and respond to a complaint of underage drinking, we will contact the parents,” Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin said recently.

Asselin, who came to the Houlton Police Department last year after serving as head of the Skowhegan Police Department, said the program was something he instituted in Skowhegan.

“We trust our children, but kids today are under an intense amount of peer pressure,” he said. “When their friends hear that their parents are going away, they may put pressure on the teen to host a party. This program gives parents peace of mind because they can be reassured that police are checking the residence to make sure that no underage drinking is going on.”

This is just one of the substance abuse prevention initiatives launched in Aroostook County this week.

On Monday, Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention, the Aroostook Chiefs of Police Association, Aroostook Healthy Maine Partnership and Cary Medical Center hosted a press conference to kick off the “Parents Who Host Lose the Most” campaign in the area.

The goal of the nationwide program is to educate parents on the consequences of serving alcohol to minors and to negate the idea of “safe drinking” under parental supervision. The initiative also gives parents tips on how to plan and host alcohol-free activities for teens.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a recent survey commissioned by The Century Council, which is a national nonprofit dedicated to fighting drunken driving and underage drinking, revealed that 65 percent of underage youth say they get alcohol from family and friends. That means they get it from their parents, their friends’ parents, older siblings or friends, with or without their permission.

The program lets parents know that if their underage teen drinks and drives, the parents may be legally liable for any damage, injury or death caused by their child – especially if the parent provided the alcohol.

The Aroostook campaign will both educate parents and allow for increased law enforcement efforts to prevent underage drinking, such as through the implementation of the PACT program.

jlbdn@ainop.com

532-9257