News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The woods around Sister are a regular party spot for Sisters teens, a haven for underage drinkers.
But Sisters area sheriff’s deputies know all those party spots, too, and in recent weeks they have issued numerous citations for Minors in Possession of Alcohol.
Over the past two months Sisters deputies have issued 21 MIP citations. Many more teens have escaped into the woods at the deputies’ approach.
According to Deputy Allan Borland, MIP parties are a weekly occurrence, with many of the teen drinkers aged 15 to 17 and a handful 18 and above.
While a police officer can issue an MIP citation just for being present at a beer bust, in the recent cases, “everyone I cited I either smelled alcohol on them or they admitted to drinking.”
The sheriff’s office is pretty aggressive about MIP parties, according to Sergeant Kevin Dizney.
“We have a very strict policy about it,” he said. “When we respond to these MIPs we are going to take action.”
But citations and a call home to parents isn’t enough to put a stop to teen drinking.
“We’re just one small piece of the pie in solving the problem,” Sgt. Dizney said. “It’s a community problem.”
Parents have the ultimate responsibility to control their teens’ behavior — which is often easier said than done.
“Parents need to know where their kids are at and who they’re with,” Dizney said.
It doesn’t seem to be too much of a problem for teens to obtain booze.
“They’re stealing it from their parents, they’re paying adults to buy it for them,” Dizney said.
And Borland noted that “they have enough friends who are over 21 to buy it for them.”
And local purveyors of beer, wine and liquor need to take responsibility, too, the deputies said. If they suspect someone is buying for teens, they don’t have to make the sale.
“They can refuse service to anyone,” Borland said.
If refusing a sale violates a store policy or doesn’t seem reasonable, there is another option.
“They can do whatever their policy states — and call us,” Borland said.
“They shouldn’t turn a blind eye.”
It’s not just a question of teens being involved in illicit and illegal behavior. It’s a real safety issue.
Kids who party in the woods hit the road in their cars — and alcohol and driving are a deadly mix for anyone, particularly teens.
Dizney and Borland both noted that recent traffic stops seem to indicate that teen partiers are often using designated drivers, which Dizney said “is a comforting thought.”
But a recent teen drinking incident ended with a drunken youth crashing his car into a bunch of mailboxes — and it could have been worse than that.
“I’m really worried that someone’s going to get hurt,” Borland said. “The hot summer’s going to be here and they’re going to be out there every weekend.”
Sheriff’s deputies will be out there, too.
Dizney said “our Sisters deputies are aware of these kids (the regular partiers) and know all about these (party) areas. I’m continually impressed with ... how they know their community.”
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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