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Deputies to crash drinking parties
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer INVERNESS -- It's a tradition as time-honored as high school football itself: the big bash after the Friday night game. For years, Citrus County sheriff's deputies planned to target those celebrations they figured to include underage drinking. A shortage of deputies restricted their efforts, said Lt. James Martone. But this year, the Sheriff's Office is fully staffed with school resource officers, 10 in all. And their first task will be to crack down on underage drinking and drug use, including the parties thrown after school hours, said Martone, who oversees the resource officers. "The Sheriff's Office has made a strong commitment to this," he said. "We're going to be taking a much more proactive stance than we have in the past." Drug-sniffing dogs will inspect cars in the parking lot during games, and the officers will attempt to gather intelligence from students and teachers to learn where the teens will gather afterward, Martone said. If a party is broken up, the Sheriff's Office will be firm about arresting offenders and alerting parents, he added. "If we break up a party with 100 kids, we're going to be calling 100 parents, or neighbors or whomever," Martone said. "There's going to be more accountability." It is part of a larger effort by the Sheriff's Office and the school district to eliminate drugs and alcohol from the county's schools. Sheriff Jeff Dawsy announced his intention to get tough with students in a letter to the county's newspapers written jointly with superintendent David Hickey. The crackdown has already begun: A search for drugs using a Sheriff's Office dog was conducted at Lecanto High School during the first week of school. Nothing was found. Similar searches are planned at all of the county's high schools and middle schools. According to Dawsy and Hickey's letter, the illegal use of prescription drugs will be one of their major targets. Holding parents accountable for their children's actions will be another. "You need to know what your children keep in their rooms, who their friends are and what they bring to school every day," the Aug. 11 letter stated. "Staying informed and involved not only can help prevent your children from jeopardizing their future, but it also can mean the difference between life and death." Another goal of the school resource officers will be to truly determine the size and scope of alcohol and drug abuse by Citrus County teens, Martone said. The officers believe a problem already exists, based on a study released by the Department of Children and Families that shows the use of drugs and alcohol is higher among Citrus County teens than the state average. According to the 2000 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey, 72.2 percent of Citrus County high school students have reported drinking alcohol. The state average is 68.9 percent. Drinking is also prevalent among Citrus County middle schoolers, with 46.5 percent reporting the use of alcohol, compared with 38.6 percent for the rest of the state. Citrus also ranks higher in the use of cigarettes and marijuana. An updated survey will be released either later this year or early next year, said Hal Johnson, survey coordinator. In Florida, 580 schools participated in the survey. The results are based on 65,246 responses. Martone said there are still some doubts whether the document paints an accurate picture of drug and alcohol use within the county. "It's a good tool," he said. "But we want to find out for ourselves." Jason Duffney, 18, a senior at Lecanto High School and a member of Students Working Against Tobacco, said he thinks the efforts of the Sheriff's Office will improve the atmosphere at the county's schools. Many older students talk frequently about drinking and drug use, setting a poor example for the younger children at the schools, he said. "I think this will create a stricter environment, which means it won't be such a distraction for students who are trying to get a good education," Duffney said. But not every teen shared Duffney's views. "I think it's dumb," said Emerald Smith, 14, a student at the Renaissance Center. "They're going to drink anyway, whether they do it in front of you or hide it." Matt Tilton, 17, a senior at Citrus High School, agreed. He said students were already so frustrated by stricter rules regarding dress code and other school policies that the enforcement efforts by the Sheriff's Office could backfire. "All it's going to do is make more people want to rebel," Tilton said. -- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 860-7309 or cjohnson@sptimes.com.
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