Northwest Indiana Discussion

Chief's Email- PORTAGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 11:15 AM
From:
"Mark Becker" <MBecker@portage-in.com>
To:
undisclosed-recipients
Good Morning!

It was about 5:00 this morning when I heard a strange noise that seemed to be coming from the area of my 15 year old daughter's bedroom. History tells me that nothing moves in that bedroom until at least 10 am and so it certainly grabbed my attention. I immediately began a check list... did I lock the front door last night? Were the living room windows left open and unlocked? Why aren't the dogs barking? As I mentally tried to figure out what was going on, my law enforcement training kicked in and soon I was making my way down the hall to confront our intruder. The intruder of course turned out to by my soon to be "Sophomore" preparing for her first day of school. Back to bed for a few more minutes of sleep when I was again awoken, this time by my wife, who quietly sat on the side of the bed and with a sigh and certainly a tear about to form, said " I knew kindergarten was a bad idea"- she loves having the kids at home. Yes dear, they grow up and at some point, they move on...all a part of life.

No, this is not an email about the "Becker Family" and yes, there is a public safety message here. The message is that school is back in session and we need to be watching for school buses and their passengers. There is a second message here as well that deals with illegal drugs and alcohol and I just wanted to pass along a few thoughts. This fall we hope to join forces with the Portage School system and present "Illegal Drugs and the Consequences Thereof:" That presentation will deal with the appearances and effects of some of the drugs that tempt our kids every day and will also educate you as to what drug paraphernalia looks like, so that parents have some idea as to what to look for. The date has not yet been set, we hope to make final arrangements very soon and hopefully will present it at the Portage High School's auditorium--they have been very genereous in the past.

As for alcohol, I recently addressed a group of parents and student/athletes at a local high school and we talked a bit about some related concerns. For some time now I have heard of drinking parties in the area that take place with the full knowledge and blessings of the adults who reside in these houses. Apparently as long as the juveniles are willing to surrender their car keys and pledge/promise that they will not leave the house, the adults then allow them to drink alcohol in their residences! I am amazed that any adult would want to risk not only criminal issues, but can you image the civil repercussions that could follow? Regardless of these potential penalties, the parties continue and those of us in law enforcement will do our best to find them. We certainly invite your assistance and I urge you to contact your respective police department if you have information concerning these types of adult approved parties.

As a side note, prior to making my presentation to the high school parents and student athletes, I spoke with Matt Frost, who is the Chief Deputy Prosecutor from the Porter County Prosecutor's Office. Mr. Frost informed me of a few facts that those involved in minor consumption and contributing to the delinquency of a minor may want to be familiar with, to wit:

For those under 18 years of age--

* Juveniles arrested for minor consumption of alcohol or public intoxication can expect to face 6 months probation; community service and an alcohol treatment program. That all will cost our young drinkers about $340 - $664, which does not include any legal fees and you know they are going to need an attorney.


For adults-- that means between the ages of 18 - 21, consider the following---


* Minor consuming of alcohol is 0 - 90 days in jail, community service, probation, PCADOS ("alcohol school"), court cost of $168 and a PCADOS fee of up to $400---oh yea, also those attorney fees. In some cases the judge may opt to also suspend the defendant's drivers license
* Public Intoxication- 0 -180 days in the slammer, community service, probation, PCADOS, court costs of $168, PCADOS fees of up to $400 and again, the lawyers get richer
* Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor- 0 - 365 days in jail with the same programs and fees as outlined above.


For adults who are 21 years of age or older- as expected, the penalties can sharply increase


* "A" Misdemeanors involve a potential 0 - 365 days in jail, however, if the consumption of alcohol is the cause of death of any person, the penalty jumps to a "C" Felony, punishable by 2 - 8 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Legal fees are likely going to cost you at least $5,000 and of course you also get to live the rest of your life knowing that your actions caused the death of another human being.


Parents, please do not assume that your kid does not consume and take the time to have that talk with him/her, Afterall, it is your responsibility as the adult to make sure your kid knows what is out there, what it can do to them and both what the short and long term consequences can be. Whether it be drugs or alcohol, there are many challenges facing our young athletes these days, as a parent the work never ends.

For those of you who may know of adults who provide a safe haven for juvenile parties involving alcohol, let them know that we are looking for them and when we find them, it will not be pretty. There will be no second chance and we will ask the prosecutor to take full advantage of all existing laws, both criminal and civil forfeiture, to end this ridiculous notion that just because a kid hands over their keys and provides a promise to stay the night, that it is now "ok" to let them drink. If you know or think you know of those in your community involved in these activities, please help us stop them and call or email us.

That is all for now, sorry the summer has come and gone so quickly. The good news is that football season is here and Friday nights mean high school football, always a good time. It also means that my Packers get 2 more chances to beat the Bears, which is also a good thing!

Contact Us!

Emergency - "911"
Routine Business - (219) 762-3122
STOP Team - (219) 764-5676
By Text - Enter 847411 then enter PPDTIP, followed by your message
We Tip Line- 1 - 800 - 78 - CRIME


Have a great day and be safe!

Mark J. Becker
Chief of Police
Portage Police Department

It seems like a reasonable heads up for parents in porter county.