Underage drinking is a problem all over the United States, and the quiet, peaceful state of Maine is no exception. To help fight against this problem, the Windham Police Department has recently received a grant to reduce underage drinking.
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| An $8,000 grant will be used by the Windham Police Department to enforce underage drinking laws including compliance checks at licensed establishments throughout Windham. FILE PHOTO |
“We applied for this grant in 2023 and received $8,000,” says Windham Police Sgt. Ernest MacVane, who has been with the Windham Police Department for 25 years.
He says this grant will be used to enforce underage drinking laws including compliance checks with our licensed establishments through the town of Windham and other towns.
“The Windham Police Department also has an MOU with Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations (BABLO). All the police officers that participate in the special operations fall under an agreement with BABLO which gives our officers the authority to enforce liquor laws and certain administrative laws that the Bureau of Liquor Enforcement would otherwise enforce,” MacVane said. “So basically, our officers have the authority of liquor inspectors.”
The State of Maine has strict, zero-tolerance laws for underage drinking. The legal drinking age in Maine is 21, and minors are prohibited from purchasing or possessing alcohol. This includes imitation liquor and equipment used to make alcohol. Minors are also not allowed to have alcohol in their possession at bars, restaurants, or other premises that sell liquor for consumption on-site.
A violator cannot knowingly allow a person under the age of 21, other than your own child, to remain in your home or on your property while consuming or possessing alcohol. If you break the law and are apprehended, you can face a maximum sentence of up to one year in jail and up to a $2,000 fine.
Sergeant MacVane is the executor of the grant in Windham and builds the operations to enforce compliance with these laws.
“What I have been doing is putting officers in plain clothes and these officers are conducting surveillance of certain areas in town where we believe underage drinking is occurring, including our licensed liquor establishments throughout the town,” said MacVane.
What should citizens do if they encounter an officer who is dressed in plain clothes? There is a chance that if you are visiting Windham and you are at a licensed establishment or participating in an activity that is being watched by the police department that you may have contact with a police officer who is dressed in plain clothes. These officers will have their badge, their identification, and any other tools that they may need for the job, all of which will be neatly concealed on their person.
“One of the things that I do is I have uniformed contact officers that watch and support our plain clothes operators who are working in the field,” MacVane said. “This is important because it gives protection to our police officers, but it also can give citizens some comfort if they are uncomfortable dealing with a plain clothes police officer, they should immediately request a uniformed police officer, and one will come to the scene and verify who they are and what they are doing.”
These officers are trained and have practiced working undercover and typically will call out violations to officers who are working in uniform.
“The other beauty of this is that officers are in a position to observe other crimes that are occurring. Recently, a plain clothes operation revealed some drug trafficking in one of our North Windham business parking lots where a vehicle was searched and we found drugs and a loaded firearm,” said MacVane. “This grant targets parking lot surveillances where we do Cops in Shops, which is when we put officers in businesses to see if there are minors attempting to purchase alcohol or, more importantly, finding adults that are purchasing the alcohol for the children, because when we find them and identify them, they are going to jail.”
There is also a response group ready to go for people that host underage drinking parties. They can expect a visit from the police department where the danger with the juveniles drinking alcohol will be assessed and people who provide a place for minors to consume alcohol, whether it is a private residence or a commercial business, will be charged.
“We encourage any citizen or business that has information about underage drinking to contact the Windham Police Department,” MacVane said. “We have an anonymous tip line where you can send a text message to 847411, then type the keyword WPDTIPS, add a space, type your tip info, and hit send, or you can do it directly by calling the 207-892-2525 non-emergency number.” <
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