Deputies targeting teen alcohol parties
By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

Police are cracking down on underage drinking in Oak Park thanks to Ventura County's social host ordinance law. Two citations were issued in the past five weeks to adults hosting parties where alcohol was consumed by minors.

At 11:30 p.m. on Fri., Feb. 2, an 18-year-old hosting a party at his home on Briarwood Lane was issued a $1,000 citation after police found at least one minor drinking alcohol. The parents were out of town. A neighbor called police to complain about teens fighting in the street.

In another incident on Dec. 30, a 21-year-old was cited by police for allowing minors to consume alcohol in his home on Smoketree Avenue. More than 100 people reportedly attended the house party.

The Oak Park citations are among more than 20 issued in Ventura County since a social host ordinance was passed last spring, said Capt. Bill Flannigan, of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. The ordinance places responsibility on owners of homes where alcohol is consumed by minors.

In the unincorporated areas of the county such as Oak Park, the fine is $1,000. Cities within the county establish their own fine levels. Thousand Oaks issues a fine of $2,500.

Deputies will notify parents if their minors are caught drinking, Flannigan said.

"Our goal is not to write as many citations as we can," Flannigan said. "Our goal is to make people aware that underage drinking is not a rite of passage. It's dangerous. . . . People don't go to the emergency room and see what we see."

Before the ordinance was put into place there was little police could do in situations where underage partygoers were drinking alcohol. Teens would often discard bottles and cans containing alcohol when police arrived, Flannigan said.

"There is no law in this country making it illegal for a minor to be under the influence, only to be in possession of alcohol," Flannigan said. "The level of proof is much lower now (due to the ordinance)."

He hopes the recent citations will discourage adults from providing minors with alcohol.