WASHINGTON – The District’s tough-talking police chief weighs in on teens and drinking parties.
In an interview with News Channel 8, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier says she has seen enough to know that teens and drinking don’t mix.
When her son was a teenager, there was no question about whether he could drink.
“My rule for my son was…when you’re legally able to drink, you may have a drink,” she says.
She declined to comment to NewsChannel 8 on Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler’s decision not to report an underage drinking party where he found his son.
But she does say that her parenting style is vastly different.
“My son will tell you that if he had friends over and they were in the basement, then I would come down into the basement 14 or 15 times when I’m there. They’re not to have their privacy. That’s what parents do to make sure that nothing’s going on.”
Lanier says studies have found that people who become addicted to alcohol often began drinking at a younger age – in their teens.
And teens, she says, just don’t know to stop.
“Because when you’re young and you’re in a party environment and you’re drinking with your peers, impulsive drinking and drinking to excess can be deadly.”
The issue of underage drinking has been a stumbling block for Gansler, who is currently campaigning to be the next governor of Maryland.
Gansler admitted to stopping by a teen house party in Delaware in June to see his son. He said he didn’t know that the teens were drinking but later acknowledged that he should have investigated and he should have spoken to the adult chaperones.
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