Downtown Officers selected to present at national conference:

Members of the Columbia Police Department's Downtown Unit were selected to present at the OJJDP's (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention) 12th National EUDL Leadership Conference. EUDL stands for Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws.

Read about the Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center here.

From their website: " 12th Annual National Leadership Conference - A Success! The 12th Anniversary National Leadership Conference (NLC) was held on August 18-20, 2010, at the Anaheim Marriott in Anaheim, California. This year’s NLC theme was "Building Community Futures with Blueprints for Success". Nearly 1,800 energized and motivated participants attended the conference. We would like to thank all who attended and participated in this year’s Conference!"

Read more about the 2010 Annual Leadership Conference here.

From their website: "Over the past 12 years, the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) program has successfully built partnerships with law enforcement, community organizations, and government officials to implement evidence based strategies to reduce youth access to
alcohol. To establish and maintain a grasp on the problems and consequences of underage
drinking, a blueprint must be developed to integrate three key elements: environmental
strategies and laws, enforcement, and public support. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s 12th Annual National EUDL Leadership Conference will highlight
communities, programs, and other initiatives that have successfully implemented science,
performance, and data-driven strategies to support the reduction of youth access to
alcohol."

Sergeant Chris Kelley and Officer Eric Hughes presented "Breaking the Cycle: A Collaborative Approach to Reducing Underage Drinking in a Big 12 City", part of the conference's Enforcement Operations and Techniques track. Co-presenting was Mike McBride with the University of Missouri's Wellness Resource Center.

From the conference brochure: "These workshops will include innovative enforcement strategies that address retail and social sources of alcohol for youth.   Workshops should highlight how community support has facilitated the implementation of these strategies.  Examples of workshops in this category may include but are not limited to:  Rural Enforcement Operations, Development of Operational Plans for Law Enforcement, and specific programs that law enforcement agencies can utilize to prevent underage drinking (e.g, Source Investigation Programs, Bar Security Programs, Social Host Enforcement Operations, Party Prevention, Party Patrol and Party Dispersal Enforcement Operations, Use of Community Volunteers and Alternative Judicial Sentencing Programs etc.)."

Since the Downtown Unit's inception, the officers have partnered with the University of Missouri's Wellness Resource Center, the stakeholders of The District, and others, to collaborate and develop strategies to effectively reduce underage drinking in Columbia and the related assaults. A multifaceted, comprehensive approach, including but not limited to education, environmental strategies, and enforcement was implemented to achieve the desired outcomes that would allow our goals to be met.

Strategies have included compliance checks, zero-tolerance for intoxicated minors, and working with bar owners to implement strategies to remove arguing patrons before disturbances become physical. Training for bar employees on how to spot a false ID has been conducted, and officers partnered with the University of Missouri to effectively implement SMART (server) Training - a free training provided to establishments serving liquor to educate employees on methods to reduce improper liquor sales. The Downtown Safety Summit was also created to provide input regarding environmental design, as well as business practices, to enhance downtown's safe and vibrant atmosphere.

According to the Wellness Resource Center, surveys completed by University of Missouri students show that 10.1% said they used a fake ID in 2010, down from 11.7% in 2009 and 15.5% in 2008. As for the number of students who said they go to a place where ID's are not checked? 13.3% in 2010, down from 17.3% in 2009 and 24.8% in 2008.

The officers with the Columbia Police Department's Downtown Unit will continue to use a combined approach of prevention and enforcement to further the safe, vibrant atmosphere in the downtown area.

Congratulations to Sergeant Kelley, Officer Hughes, and Mike McBride for being chosen to present on this important topic and share our success with others.