phoenix cops now hanging out in liquor stores trying to bust underage kids trying to buy booze. geez!!! dont these cops have any real criminals to chase? plus two new government web sites that ask you to snitch on your neighbors: Original Article http://www.cityofphoenix.org/EMAIL/appliquor.html http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1226teendrinking.html Police targeting teens who buy, drink alcohol Lindsey Collom The Arizona Republic Dec. 26, 2005 12:00 AM Officer Jay Jacobs leaned out the drive-through window at Casa Amigo's Liquors and peered into a truck of young men. Jacobs, in plainclothes, his badge hanging low from a chain around his neck, didn't look like a cop. The driver ordered a 12-pack of Bud Light. "Cuantos anos?" a clerk standing with Jacobs asked. The driver responded to the question about his age with a shrug. "Bring your ID, come back, OK?" the clerk said. He turned to the officer. "We should just make a habit for them to pull it out before we ask." Lines of vehicles had been streaming through the dual drive-through at 43rd Avenue and Osborn Road for much of the night. Many were turned away on Jacob's watch. Jacobs is one of four officers on the Phoenix police Youth Alcohol Education and Enforcement Squad, which targets underage drinking at the source. The "Cops in Shops" program, which puts officers behind the counter at liquor and convenience stores, is just part of their duties. Friday and Saturday nights are spent patrolling the city in an unmarked vehicle. They stop at bars and send in cubs, or police cadets younger than 21, to determine whether establishments are following liquor laws. The cub will belly up to a bar and order a drink. If he or she is served, the officers cite the bartender and conduct a full liquor inspection. The squad also targets other sources, like house parties. Before the group was initiated a decade ago, officers would break up parties and give little or no attention to possible youth alcohol consumption.Earlier this year, for example, the squad was notified of a house party in the 4400 block of East South Fork Drive in Ahwatukee. They sent two cubs into the home to verify that underage drinking was going on and, based on their findings, closed off the street. Squad members interviewed each of the 22 partygoers, 13 of whom were underage drinkers who police cited for consumption. The 24-year-old homeowner/party host was slapped with 26 citations for various liquor violations. Most recently, the squad has used the Web to aid in enforcement. Party sites, like www.azhouseparty.com, are cropping up. The groups will name the location of a party, give directions and charge a fee for entry. While the parties and Web sites enable underage drinking, they're not the problem. Studies show it begins at home. A recent poll by the American Medical Association indicated that adults are the most common source of alcohol for teens. Nearly half of teens polled said they obtained alcohol from adults at some point. In the adult poll, one of four U.S. parents with children ages 12 to 20 agreed that teens should be able to drink at home with parents present. "People tend to be a little self-involved and they don't do enough parenting," said Officer Tom Tardy, another squad member. "A lot of parents operate under the assumption that, 'I was young, I drank, I turned out OK.' That's contrary to the research." Underage drinking is a leading cause of death among youths when including alcohol-related car accidents and fatal injuries, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. And the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that alcohol was a factor in two-thirds of all sexual assaults and date rapes and increases the likelihood of contracting a sexually transmitted disease. American Medical Association research also has shown the long-term and irreversible damage that drinking does to teen brains. "We don't want to ruin anybody's lives, but we want them to play by the rules," Jacobs said. "Kids take chances. They're at the age where they can make choices. You just hope they make the right choice." Jacobs, Tardy and other squad members regularly promote those choices. Last quarter, the group reached more than 2,000 students through programs at high schools. They target youths who are almost of driving age to address traffic laws, impaired driving and underage alcohol use. The squad can't verify that its efforts have stopped a teen from drinking or driving drunk, yet they say hope pushes them forward. "(People) always want to know, 'Do you have statistics to prove your progress?' " said Sgt. Bob Smedes, squad supervisor. "We think it has an impact, but statistics are difficult to monitor under the best of circumstances. So you go out there, you put in a whole shift and you hope you make a difference. "You hope that somewhere along the way you're saving lives, and that's what keeps most of these guys going." Reach the reporter at lindsey.collom@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8557.