From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
Following a ten-day investigation, Harford County Sheriff’s Office deputies executed a search and seizure warrant on a home in the 700 block of Fox Bow Drive in Bel Air, MD at approximately 9:30 pm on Friday, March 18, 2011. The investigation began in response to several anonymous complaints received by the Sheriff’s Office concerning ongoing regularly scheduled underage drinking parties at this location.
Investigation determined that the drinking parties were promoted on Facebook under a business category billed as “The Laughing Duck”. It was further determined that these events had in all likelihood been occurring since September of 2010. This particular event was scheduled to start at 9pm on March 18, 2011. When Harford County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Harford County Liquor Board inspectors arrived, there were over thirty people at the residence.
Criminal and civil charges are pending against two individuals who live in the residence for charges related to providing alcohol to a minor and providing alcohol without a license. In addition, several civil citations were issued to juveniles at the party for consumption of alcohol under the age of 21. Party attendees were issued preliminary breath tests to determine if they were able to drive away from the scene, once allowed by the deputies.
This investigation was part of a cooperative effort between the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Harford County Office of Drug Control Policy and Prevention and the Harford County Liquor Board. The program is being funding by a grant from the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention designed to combat underage drinking. The program was designed to encourage a new attitude about underage drinking by focusing on awareness regarding the risks associated with this epidemic.
DW says
Nice! Hopefully this is a wake up call to all you parents out there who seem to think that’s ok to supply your high school children and their friends with alcohol reasoning that “They’re going to drink anyway and I’d rather they do it in my home.”
scott says
You are so dumb you think that quote came out of thin air? its like a stereotype it was made because there is a reason behind it. Kids will just find new ways to get ahold of alcohol no matter what, i mean if the drinking age was lowered at least the kids could be under more supervision.
Randolf says
This guy above me is clearly knows nothing, there was 3 situations issued of the 30 people in attendance. Everyone was above 18 at least. Check your facts before you sit on your altruistic high horse
Watcher says
Last time I checked, it wasn’t legal to drink at 18.
Randolf says
Never said that it was.
Retiredawhile says
If citations were issued to juveniles for underage drinking they would have to be under the age of 18. You are an adult in the eyes of the law at 18, although not old enough to drink alcohol.
DW says
Ok Randolph, so what did I say that was incorrect?
That it is ok for parents to supply their high school kids and their friends with alcohol (which does happen?) That they don’t need to worry about getting busted and charged now that the HCSO finally has funding to do something about it?
nailbiter says
I didn’t know that the Sheriffs office needed additional funding to bust underage drinking partys. I thought that is why we pay taxes.
nailbiter says
Are there any other grants you guys applied for that the community assumes was part of your everyday salary?
DW says
The HCSO gets a lot of money every year from grants…all of which can only be used for specific purposes and usually a detailed accounting of how that money was spent and what was accomplished with it must be reported back to wherever the money came from.
There already would’ve been significant cuts to what the HCSO can do if it wasn’t for grant money since the budget from the county has been flat or fallen over the past couple years while general operating expenses have increased (and that’s without any raises since our pay has been frozen for 3 or 4 years now and will probably be frozen for the next year or two.)
JC says
Randolf – they are called “citations”. Not situations. Maybe they are called that on the Jersey Shore.
B says
Over the age of 18 is not a juvenile. The citations were issued to two people over the age of 18 who both had designated drivers.
Cdev says
and where breaking the law!
Retiredawhile says
So the article above is not accurate? The article states that citations were issued to several juveniles for underage drinking.
Rob in Bel Air says
And that makes a difference . . . they had a DD? So what . . . they broke the law.
Cdev says
It has occured to me B…..you must have been in attendance. I say this because you provide new detials. So tell us do you provide alcohol to minors or are you a minor recieving the alcohol?
ranter says
B is cop you @#@$%.
B says
There happens to be at least two on here who post as “B.” I’m the one who’s an officer. I’m actually registered on here as B and have been for quite a bit longer than I’ve seen anyone else posting with the same name otherwise I would’ve picked something else.
I don’t post very often, but figured that should be clarified since I doubt this guy is an officer.
hsteacher says
Regardless of what this article says, I hope it wakes up a few communities and helps parents open the communication up with their kids. As a high school teacher, it is frequent that parties are held where parents are home, whether they know about it or not, and alcohol is readily available. Come Monday morning, this will be yet another story among the students about another weekend party. If you know something, call it in…. nothing will ever have a chance of being done if it is never reported.
HolyISH says
Your comments sound as if you are a detective……
MacG says
Been going on since Sept 2010? Glad to see this Sheriff and his minions are really on top of things!
Applause says
Wow, you busted an underage drinking party. You actually did an investigation to bust a bunch of kids drinking in a private residence. Lets have a round of applause for the Super Troopers who risked their lives to make sure that no juvenile in our community breaks the law. You guys are pathetic……..
Grimly says
I agree with applause, I think you might have had some more serious business to attend to, maybe, actually trying to catch a real criminal. I know, I know, that might be dangerous, but it might actually impress the community for once.
volunteer mom says
Are you people kidding me!!! If your 18 year old was being served alcohol at someones house and fell and had an accident…you would probably be the first ones to sue and press charges then!! Or when your child gets caught drunk at 18 and it is on their record and they loose a scholarship or job opportunity, I bet you would be a bit upset then too! A law is a law and as a parent, I do not appreciate these adult deciding that it is ok to pick and choose the laws they want to follow and telling our teens that it is ok! I applaude the HCSD and thank them for trying to keep our kids safe either by random party busts, driving issues and all other crimes that they face on a daily basis!!
Retiredawhile says
That 18 year old child you speak of, is the adult that is deciding which law or laws to comply with.
HolyISH says
Your comments sound as if you are a cop……
Bel Air Mom says
Wow, some people always have to take a story on here and make it about insulting the HCSO. (And for the record, it’s clear that’s their only agenda.) I applaud the HCSO for their efforts and hope they continue. Anyone who would call them pathetic is just ignorant and disrespectful. Grow up!
HolyISH says
Your comments sound as if you are a police officer……
ranter says
Its because the HCSO makes it so ez to insult them. They just keep giving people reasons to come up with new insults!
keeper says
I respect the badge and the orders from one who carries it. Doesn’t mean I will ever respect the person unless they give me reason to do so. You have to earn respect not demand it. The comments of some of our community members and the police force members on here show that attitudes in our community and police need changing. This whole thing looks like a publicity stunt!
HdG Dad says
Sorry kids, it’s illegal to drink when you’re under 21 in this state. If your parents are too gutless to say no to you and too lazy to teach you responsibility, then they get to pay the price, too. As for HCSO, I applaud their actions and priorities. Keeping drunk drivers off the streets keeps me and my family safe.
dick says
this stuff goes on all the time this is nothing new,
Randolf says
A grave misappropriation of fund!
Retiredawhile says
What do the parents think their 18 year old is doing at college. Not only are they drinking, they are using funnels, beer bongs, and playing quarters. Most of this is done under the supervision of more older adults, those who are 19 and 20!!
Bob says
Sorry, retiredawhile- that’s a sweeping statement and is ultimately irresponsible. Maybe that’s what YOUR kids did/are doing.
Retiredawhile says
My kids are both long ago out of college, and are very productive members of their communities. College days are… well, college days. Just visit any large university and you will see what is happening on and just off campus. Lots of night life and lots of drinking involving college age kids. It is what it is. It has been happening for many years, and it is not about to change anytime soon. It is part of growing up and becoming a responsible adult. It’s not mandatory, not all do it, but most do, and it does not make them bad people. It’s just part of the college scene, it’s reality.
HolyISH says
“The program was designed to encourage a new attitude about underage drinking by focusing on awareness regarding the risks associated with this epidemic.”
And you call serving a Search and Seizure on a couple kids’ house for alcohol within the bounds of what this program was designed for? To me “focusing on awareness” means something like educate and “risks associated with this epidemic” means mental and health issues from the epidemic of alcoholism. I’m not so sure the governor wanted you to use funds granted for education on alcoholism used for police searches, arrests and citations. I may be wrong, but I think the Sheriff’s may have acted a little overzealously. One last negative comment, I hardly think this topic was even worthy of publication, but I think members of the Sheriff’s Office probably pushed its publication.
FatherinHarford says
I am the 2nd person to tell Holy ISH to calm down. The job of police officers is to investigate crimes, regardless of whether or not people such as yourself like or dislike that. Detectives are the ones to apply for a search and seizure warrant after they write an affidavit of probable cause which a JUDGE must review and approve. This is not an overzealous action…rather, anyone who understands police work realizes that when Probable Cause exists, you move fast.
The fact that you don’t like police executing warrants on underage drinking parties is tough cookies on you. Get over it. Its better than having an officer show up @ 2am to knock and announce their presence and let a mom & dad know their kid died or was injured in a drunk driving accident.
You should “settle down” and understand that you are being immature with your silly comments.
Thank you Harford County Sheriff’s Office for preventing injuries and death!
Cdev says
There was some education…..These “kids” will get an education in the criminal justice system!
qwerty says
Spoken like a true piece of pork!
comments says
I think what HOLYISH was saying is that the program was instituted to provide awareness to our young people about the dangers of alcohol and the money used from the program was not meant to be used by the police for arresting the young people it was meant to educate. The fact that he feels that some of the prosheriff comments are actually posts by police officers may be a bit paranoid, but I actually saw this story on TV last night and both my wife and I could not believe that an underage drinking party bust is being carried on televised news. My hats off to the Sheriff’s Department for figuring out new ways to take money for educational programs and turn it into a police action. Thank god the Sheriff’s Department didn’t strip search the kids! We don’t need another lawsuit!
Regulardude says
Well, well. I suppose if my kid calls and says I am at XYZ’s house and I need a ride, I will go get him. What do I do if I show up and Mr. & Mrs. XYZ are there and many kids are drunk? Should I beat the crap out of Mr. XYZ, call the cops, shut my mouth, or start drinking?
I am glad the HCSO investigated this mess. Underage drinking has many consequences usually none of which end in anything positive. Kudos to Big Blue!
Those of you parents who let kids drink at your house best be aware that some other Father may kick your ass for allowing this in your home. Then you have two adults in the Detention Center wondering what the ##@#%$@ happened.
Sheam says
I wonder if the homeowners insurance agent saw this article. Bet if he did the homeowner is shopping for a new company dumb enough to provide coverage.
Rob in Bel Air says
It’s not hard to separate the teens from the adults in the above posts. Those who think it was a waste of time and money are likely the teens while those supporting the operation are the adults (most likely have children of their own). Then there are a few criticizing the bust only because it was under the current sheriff. If it occurred under their candidate, it would have been OK.
An adult allowing alcohol to be served at a party has got to be stupid. Just the liability has got to make one think . . . but here is something for the teens to think about: what if a kid left the party impaired or drunk, got into his car, drove onto the street and caused an accident, killing your best friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, or one of your family members. Would it still be OK for adults to allow youths to drink just so the adults can look “cool” in the eyes of their own kids and their friends?
Some will argue that adults drink and drive, and that is just as shameful and stupid. There’s no excuse. But teens have their whole lives ahead of them and should not let alcohol destroy their lives. IT’S NOT WORTH IT. I SAY KUDOS TO THE HCSO, TO THE SHERIFF, AND THE COMMANDER WHO RAN THE OPERATION. LET’S SEE MORE ! ! !
momoffour says
To all of those who have commented saying they think enforcing underage drinking laws is a waste of funds, police resources, etc., consider the increased enforcement to be one part of an approach to address a huge public health issue. Funding is coming to the county from the state for underage drinking education purposes as well. According to the last Maryland Adolescent survey conducted in 2007, Harford County teens have a significantly higher rate of alcohol abuse than the state average. Through the eyes of my teenage children, I don’t think things have improved since then. Digest these stats for a minute….HarCo 10th graders who have participated in binge drinking – 34% (state avg. – 27.4%)…HarCo 12th graders who have participated in binge drinking – 61% (state avg – 46.9%). Binge drinking is defined as 5 or more servings of alcohol on the same occasion. With the HarCo stats so much higher than the state average, the number of citations for underage drinking per 100,000 population under 21 has historically been very low compared to the other MD counties (during the same time period as the survey…23 per 100,000 in HarCo compared to 224 per 100,000 state wide…yes, you read that right). Obviously, those at the state level recognized that we have a problem in our county and we are extremely fortunate to have a very proactive Office of Drug Control Policy in Harford County which has sought state funding to help (hopefully) to decrease the rates of underage drinking here. No, I do not work for them, but I have had the pleasure of working with them and have been very impressed. Part of the problem IS adults providing alcohol to minors. Those same adults might need to look in the mirror some day when something tragic happens to their kids or their kids friends, or lives are ruined as a result of alcohol addiction. Parents: You need to pay very close attention by middle school. That same survey found that 23.4% of 8th graders had consumed alcohol. All of this is a much bigger problem in the more affluent areas than it is in other parts of the county. Talk to your kids about this on a regular basis, and give them the tools they need to deal with it when they face it. It will happen MUCH earlier than you think.
CF says
Thank you for sharing those statistics. Sadly, the people that should pay attention to them and be concerned, probably won’t be. Kudos to you for putting them out there. A side note, Harford County ranks higher than the state average in all areas of substance abuse. Sending mixed messages by allowing and supplying the alcohol is just irresponsible.
relax says
I really don’t want to argue with anyone here, but you all have to face it – kids that want to drink underage, WILL drink underage. No matter if a parent refuses to supply it, kids are going to find a way to get it when they want to. Having a party busted by the cops is nothing new to teens, its almost a cliche. I mean after so many stories in the news and even movies with underage drinking being busted, that never stopped any of them, so a few parties being busted recently isn’t going to teach kids anything. Teaching a parent isn’t enough. If you want to say this will teach parents lessons, I know a good amount of kids whose parents would ground them for the rest of there lives if they found out some of the things they do.
I just think teaching kids in school and really trying to inform them about the risks of underage drinking would be the most beneficial. And some may not agree, but I think schools should also say what amount is appropriate if you are going to drink. I’d rather my kid know that bing-drinking is very bad for your health and choose to drink one drink, if they were going to drink and no one was going to stop them.
To me teaching them to be responsible drinkers is the same thing as teaching kids to have safe sex. We don’t want them to do it, and it’s wrong, but you can’t always stop them. So why not try and teach them to do it safely instead of trying to just punish them. Most of the time that just makes kids more pissed off and want to rebel even more.
Just my two cents, sorry if you don’t agree, but opinions are like assholes everybody has one..
DW says
Ok, so the fact that some kids will drink regardless of the consequences means that we shouldn’t enforce the law?
Most parents would ground their kids for the rest of high school if they really knew what they were doing on the weekends. The number of parents who provide alcohol to their kids and friends is fairly small, but it only takes a couple doing it for it to become a serious problem and the ones who do it need to be charged…same goes for the older siblings and friends who buy it for them (and seriously…if you’re 21 years old and hang around high school kids then you’re pretty sad.)
I agree that there needs to be better education about the dangers of drinking and drug use (especially the abuse of prescription medication which is a bigger problem and frequently more dangerous than a lot of people realize.) However, there also needs to be real consequences for kids who insist on going out and drinking every weekend or most weekends.
Part of that needs to come from the police writing more citations (and a big part of the reason that more aren’t written are because they’re currently such a pain in the ass and take so long to fill out, though I believe that’s currently being looked at to redo juvenile and civil citations to simplify them.) And when those kids end up in court for those alcohol citations they need to be required to attend things like the shock trauma program, attend an AA meeting (just 1 would be enough for most kids to see what a devastating impact alcohol can have on people’s lives), and probably community service rather than just getting getting slapped with a hefty fine.
Part of it needs to come from parents to know where their children are and who they’re with (and to verify that Jimmy is really over at Bill’s house and that Bill’s parents don’t think he’s over at Jimmy’s house which happens frequently…)
Part of it needs to come from the school system where there are real and significant penalties for drinking. Things like suspension from sports teams and extra-curricular activities (even if it happens to be the starting QB, PG, whatever.) Of course that’ll actually take having administrators willing to stand up to pissed off parents and take some heat for it. I can practically guarantee that if star athletes start being suspended from games for drinking (even if in the off season) that things will start changing. Again that would take administration to stick to their guns even when parents start filling their inboxes with angry emails, calling them up, etc…which to be honest I don’t think is something most administrators are willing to do when push comes to shove. None of them want their school to be known as the one with a serious drinking problem and start losing games, jeopardizing post-season tournaments, etc because they did the right thing rather than the easy thing. I hope I’m wrong about that, but given how long it’s taken certain events to become public knowledge or even to be reported to the police for a proper investigation I’m not holding my breath.
Right now kids think it’s a joke because absolutely nothing (or almost nothing) happens to them when they get caught and many of them have gone through life without having to face real consequences for poor choices.
policepropaganda says
I think that alot of comments on here are made from police officers posing as parents and teachers. Its so obvious that its quite amusing.
policepropaganda says
nobody knows how to use the kudos term like the boys in blue. c’mon guys you can at least try to conceal your identity.
policepropaganda says
And your average everyday parent is not going to have all these statistics handy, get real and stop this crazy propaganda.
bpd says
Where was the Bel Air PD?
Garmin says
This didn’t occur in the Town limits.
Rob in Bel Air says
Policepropaganda,
You say, “nobody knows how to use the kudos term like the boys in blue”; um, you may be right. I’m not in law enforcement but use to be. Maybe it’s because police see the results of young people drinking and driving. Kudos, kudos, and kudos to those who did the raid ! ! !
flavors says
World English Dictionary
terrorist (?t?r?r?st)
— n
a. a person who employs terror or terrorism, esp as a political weapon
Kinda sounds like the Harford County Sheriff’s Department new techniques to terrify children. There is a difference between respect and fear……..
enstrick says
I can’t believe the world has come to this. Search Warrants for underage drinking parties?!? I find it ironic that these kids were busted by the biggest group of alcoholics in Harford County, the Harford County Sheriff’s Department!
citizen says
When has the FOP Lodge ever been targeted for DUI enforcement on a Friday or Saturday night? Go there and put up a lawn chair up. It’s more entertaining than Jersey Shore. Seem’s like the badge is good for all sorts of things. When’s the last time you saw a driver being aggressive only to look down and see a FOP license plate?
I apologize to those who do not abuse their position but those numbers go way down when you adjust for the fact that looking the other way is just as bad. Much like an adult condoning kids drinking and driving. To me, it’s all so similar in so many ways. Do as I say not as I do.
Cdev says
It is similar but does not excuse the obvious problem above!
Cdev says
Simply put…..2 wrongs don’t make 1 right!
21yroldsbeware says
This is why you shouldn’t party with the younger crowd or buy them booze and stuff.
arealparent says
I have no problem with cops busting an underage liquor party. They are supposed to do that! I do have a problem with search warrants and the presence of the liquor board! I think this was teken a little far.
Cdev says
Why they violated the liquor liscencing laws in this county! They did not have one for the operation they ran.
cved says
I don’t think I would call this thing an operation as I would call it making a few bucks for throwing a party. The interpretation that someone needs an alcohol permit to throw a party is ludicrous. This was not openly available to the public nor was it publicly advertised as you had to be a friend of the facebook poster just to see any mention of the event. There is the question of how the information was obtained for the probable cause of the search warrant. Was someone’s Facebook account illegally hacked into? Was the information obtained by someone that was legitimately supposed to reading the posts? There will be some hard questions for the judge to look at.
By the way, get your acronym right!
Cdev says
Read the TOS on facebook. If someone accepts a friend request on it then you have privacy expectation. You may not like it but if you charge admission offering alcohol in return for the fee, you need a liquor liscence!
cved says
I’m not sure I agree with this argument. Hundreds of parties in Harford County occur every year without the use of a one day permit, because they are not public. If, what you are interpretting as law is affirmed, it would require permits for private weddings on private property for example. The Fire Departments would have to have permits for their Bull and Oyster Fund Raisers and such. I think that a cover charge for a private party is in the realm of what the public accepts as reasonable and the law is supposed to reaffirm what the public accepts as reasonable. I think a liquor license requirement on all private parties that charge a cover charge is not what this law was intended. It is very unfortunate that underage drinking occurs but your interpretting that a group of adults can not throw money together to pay for the expense of a private party on private residences. I don’t think the public would find your analogy reasonable.
cved says
Assuming the party is not for profit. If it was for profit then they needed a license. All the residents of the house have to do is show that no profit occurred from the cover charge and that the party was not made available to the public. As stated on your post, Facebook TOS, a request must be received as a FRIEND. The law is not meant to be understood that a group of FRIENDs cannot get together to assume the cost of a party.
Cdev says
Even a non-profit needs a liquor liscence. This is what was required.
http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/lcb/Download/1423.pdf
Fire Houses get them. You can not charge a cover for an event. Facebook, even when set to “private” is a public forum. The TOS say there is NO expectation of privacy. Was every “friend” of the buisness, as it was listed on facebook, a known friend of the party host? The fact was that they had no liscence and charged an advertised cover. They did this many times over and called themselves a buisness on facebook. This goes beyond the church or firehouse function which needs a liscence.
Cdev says
Furthermore It seems the patch was able to obtain the pictures and screenprints of the facebook page. Some of them provide a very compelling arguement that this was simply not just a gathering of all friends.
This one being the most compelling. Seems the laughing ducks “friends” could of easily provided the info to obtain the warrant.
http://belair.patch.com/articles/police-target-house-for-serving-alcohol-to-minors#photo-5321911
Rob in Bel Air says
CDEV,
Who do you think signed the search warrant? A search warrant is issued based on probable cause submitted in an affidavit and reviewed by a judge. If a S&SW was issued, it was signed by a judge. I’m guessing you are not very familiar with the CRJU system.
Cdev says
Rob please note i realize that. CVED however does not.
Rob in Bel Air says
I stand corrected . . . it was CVED I was addressing and not CDEV.
Cdev says
Everyone makes mistakes.
cved says
Just because a Judge’s signature is on a warrant, does not make it legal. 6 times in the past 2 years, a Harford County Judge’s decision has been overridden by the Court of Special Appeals in appeal cases.
Cdev says
It makes the warrant legal to execute for the police etc. If you think that there was no probable cause then the products of the warrant can be vacated but I do not think there is an expectation of privacy when you post it on the internet.
Rob in Bel Air says
Author: flavors
Comment:
“…Harford County Sheriff’s Department new techniques to terrify children.”
Are you serious? You can’t possibly be that ___; well, maybe you are.
amazed... says
Sure, this raid isn’t going to halt underage drinking and spending the money on education isn’t going to help either since these kids already know the realities. We did the same thing when I was a teen (back when you had to be 18 for beer), but the difference here is having to find an off-the-beaten-track place to grab a quick drink vs. having an adult sanctioned, lock the door, happy hour where you’re safe to get snockered. Extreme indiscretion on the adults part and they deserve the maximum penalty. To fault law enforcement for enforcing the law is irrational… If this had gone unchecked and someone were injured or worse those trashing the Sheriff’s office for over zealousness would be trashing them for incompetence and apathy.
reader says
Correct me if I’m wrong (I’m sure you will) but wasn’t there knowledge of activity at this house for MONTHS before the great raid? Wouldn’t it have been better to simply get there early and put the house on notice instead of waiting to build a case? The residents of the street and neighborhood were unaware while their employees (HCSO) were letting underage drunk drivers transit the neighborhood.
Wouldn’t it be as easy as pulling over one intoxicated minor in order to have justified cause to address the issue? There seems to be an unmetered response to this issue that would be better suited to a drug ring involving firearms and violent crime. It’s a teenage party. Yes, it’s illegal. Sweep the house asap and let’s move on to bigger things.
Cdev says
So you are saying that enforcing the law is wrong. I would say that since this has been an ongoing problem they really would not have cared if they got put on notice and a raid was justified. If they where interested in busting the under 21 crowd then I think they should have waited until 11 then they could have had a whole host of extra people and more violations.
Rob in Bel Air says
Amazed,
Well said . . . and right on point ! ! !
410 says
How about all of you, who don’t know the people involved, do something productive instead of criticizing everyone just because you think it’s the right thing to say. The people involved are good people just caught in an unfortunate situation.
CF says
410 – I don’t like all the criticism and nasty comments either. But to say any of the people involved were “caught in an unfortunate situation” removes all personal responsibility. Half the issues we have in our society are from a lack of personal responsibility. Everyone involved in that situation made a choice and every choice has a consequence – either good or bad.
It is a shame that the comments become so nasty and critical instead of being well thought and well said.
410 says
I do agree with most of what you said. But I was just making a point that only 2 citations were given, the others involved that didn’t do anything wrong were just stuck in the middle. There are no citations given for “wrong place, wrong time”. Comments and news articles are making it sound like there were 30 people involved in illegal activities. People do need to learn to take responsibility. A good way of learning this is to get a good reality check, this may have been it.
Harford County says
This seems to be quite the polarizing topic.
DW says
It wouldn’t be the dagger without it being polarizing…lol.
Observant... says
Good grief people. HCSO was proactive and all you people want to do is cry foul. You complain when police don’t do anything, but you complain just as loud when they do. I’d like to see more of this in Harford County. I think people across the board need to give the alcohol use a rest. Kids and adults.
Chump says
What we really need, is a rethink on prohibition! The temperance movement had it right all along. You can’t expect the young ones to resist this daemon drink. It’s up to us, as responsible adults to stamp this evil out. In my opinion, the police should have thrown the party host’s in jail for leading minors astray, after all what’s the difference between one of the youths overdosing on hard liquor compared to overdosing on heroin?
Floyd The Barber says
Yes, the Volstead Act was a real winner and worked out so well the first time.
We can shut down Maryland’s growing wine industry, retailers, restaurants, distributors, and criminalize alcohol sales and consumption, great idea.
David A. Porter says
There is such a thing as enabling behavior. If you are a parent and you let it slide when your daughter does something you disapprove of, expect more things to slide in the future. I know a young lady who’s mother did not make her get up and go to school in her senior year – according to her she only spent 75 days in school and still managed to graduate. She also used to have parties at her parents house when they were somehow away – damage occurred so that mom and dad got an alarm system. When baby girl ,who was in dance, took piano and was a cheerleader, finally got out of school she got pregnant with some loser who doesn’t pay her child support. The she got pregnant again with some loser that beat her and doesn’t pay child support. She lived at home and received state assistance for food while living in her parent’s Kingsville home until she got pregnant by her third father. She then moved out to an apartment in Baltimore, left it prematurely, found another place in Havre deGrace, left it prematurely, and is in her fourth place in three years. But wait – there is good news. She now lives with her ex con husband in Bel Air, on state support for food power and medical care after being fired from three medical assistant positions. He now has a job while she waits on tables. And she only owes $6000 in judgments to her creditors, while he owes $3000 to his. Her license has been suspended four times in four years. And she is expecting her fourth child. That is just an indication of what you can look forward to if you decide to let your kids do whatever the hell they like. It’s called enabling, or co-dependency, and it is featured in families with substance abuse problems and physical abuse. And the rest of us are paying for it.
Cdev says
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
and sorry I could not travel both
……..
B says
Going to a party will make you pregnant and dependent on the government. GOOD POINT!
David A. Porter says
What an astute conclusion… say are you in the gene pool of people who believe if you build more roads you will only get more traffic? The point (which you missed by being flippant and not thoughtful) is parents that enable their children to get away with things that society frowns upon enable their children to believe in their own narcissism. Take a look at Narcissistic Personality Disorder sometime. It comes from being enabled and coddled and treated like a spoiled rotten little brat. The girl in my story certainly is an extreme but her parents enabled her to be that way and endorsed her behaviors but not establishing limits on her behavior – consequently she does not respect the rights of others. Thank you for your demonstrated ignorance of the point and a Sarah Palin type response.
decoydude says
PORTER – A couple good points and a nice Palin analogy. I might differ a bit on the sprawl suggestion. However, too many parents today think that their responsibility stops soon after conception or they think being a buddy is more important than being a responsible parent. They see the TV as a babysitter and public school as daycare. In the end the child and society suffers and the taxpayer picks up the tab.
reader says
Take a look at the tailgate parties and glamorization of alcohol abuse that occurs around the precious NFL. Getting intoxicated, celebrating violence, and then driving home is a really bad example for youth to see and try to emulate. It’s not much better when it happens at home instead of at the game. Some of those who are quick to elevate themselves and condemn those at this house should ask themselves where they were on Super Bowl Sunday and… when is the last time they attended an event at their child’s school that was not sports related. Hypocrisy, I believe, is the lesson that’s best being taught here.
Cdev says
I was at home enjoying the game with my wife and kid who we put down. We had a bottle of wine after she went to bed and then we went to bed!
Again they have stadium liscences. There are rules. They get followed these people had no liscence and even if they did they broke a ton of the rules. No drugs, No drinking as the event host or server, No Serving those under 21, etc…..
John says
The bible says that drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Anyone who raises children and leaves Christ out starts their kids out on the wrong foot. The important thing now is for them not to stay there.
Cdev says
I thought it was the meek who shall inherit?