Nationwide 'Cops' Program Cracks Down on Underage Drinking

The arrest of two Harvard first-years Friday night after they bought three twelve-packs of beer at the Lil' Peach on Mass. Ave. focused campus attention on the Cambridge Police Department's new "Cops in Shops" program.

Inaugurated in Cambridge on Nov. 14, the program assigns plainclothes police officers to patrol liquor stores to enforce alcohol regulations, said Sergeant Thomas F. Rocca of the Watertown Police Department.

"Cops in Shops," which operates in 38 states, is coordinated nationally by the Century Council, a non-profit organization funded by alcohol distillers to combat alcohol abuse, said Carolyn W. Gasper, public relations manager for the council.

The Century Council provides the city with materials, organizational support and advertising for the program, she said.

Rocca said Cambridge and Watertown have agreed to work jointly in the program. The Somerville Police Department declined to participate, he said.

Student reaction to the program was mixed yesterday, with several students expressing dissatisfaction with the state's underage drinking laws.

"I think in order for a law to be valid people have to believe it's [right]," said Daryn David '99. "[The 'Cops in Shops' program] is kind of KGB-esque."

Jason J. Jay '99, said he believes the state's high drinking age creates an enticing mystique surrounding alcohol and induces underage students to drink to excess since alcohol is hard to obtain.

"I think [arresting underage drinkers] sucks, but I can't complain because it's [the police department's] job to make sure there's no underage drinking," he said.

Other students were more sympathetic towards the "Cops in Shops" program.

"If it's effective and it helps and protects the safety of underage drinkers, it's a good idea. It's the drinkers that are breaking the law," said Eijean Wu '99.

Gasper noted that while students feel restricted by the program, community reaction to "Cops in Shops" has been positive.

Liquor retailers, who are invited to participate in the program on a voluntary basis, have also welcomed it as a way to protect themselves against liability for selling alcohol to minors.

"[We joined the program] because we care about our customers and the liability of the store vis-a-vis our customers," said Constant B. Effi, assistant manager of Christy's in Harvard Square.

Before the program was initiated, store owners had to rely on their watchfulness to detect underage customers, he said.

"Underage drinking occurs when you're not paying attention," he said.

Christy's participated in a seminar for liquor retailers about preventing underage drinking.

"After the seminar, when you see something that doesn't feel right [you investigate]," he said.

Edward J. Boyle, the owner of BuyRite Liquors in Cambridge, said he was also eager to participate in the program.

"All of the retailers in Cambridge are participating because we felt strongly that the minors that came in to purchase alcohol kept coming in and were never dissuaded," Boyle said.

"This is the first time the law has any teeth in it," he said.

The Century Council has also emphasized the deterrent value of the program, saying that it has been successful in turning teenagers away from liquor, stores through posters and advertising.

Boyle and Effi both said they were not afraid of losing business by participating in the program.

"Minors usually buy a case of beer and I make a dollar. I want them for customers when they're 21 but not before that," Boyle said.

"[The program] is going to work well. I know you at Harvard have a major problem with [underage drinking] down there," Boyle, whose daughter recently graduated from the College, said.