Montgomery County Police have set up a special task force to deal with alcohol offenses over the holiday season, including the set up of sobriety checkpoints in areas where drunk drivers have caused accidents in the past.
MCPD’s Alcohol Holiday Task Force began their full-time work last Wednesday and will continue through New Year’s Day.
Extra officers will patrol areas where drunk or drug-impaired drivers have caused accidents before. The Alcohol Initiatives Unit will do compliance checks of businesses by using undercover underage volunteers to try to buy alcohol.
Undercover officers will work in shops that carry alcohol to catch minors who use fake IDs and the department will step up its response to underage drinking parties. The sobriety checkpoints will be set up using accident and traffic data.
Police also provided a number of ways to tip them to alcohol-related offenses:
If you believe you are observing a driver impaired by alcohol or drugs
- Call 911. If possible, and without putting yourself in danger, obtain the license plate of the vehicle, the direction of travel of the vehicle, and a description of the vehicle (make, model, color).
If you have information on establishments that are selling alcohol to minors
- If it is occurring at the present time, you can call the police non-emergency number at 301-279-8000.
- If you believe it is an ongoing issue, you can call Crime Solvers toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or leave a Crime Solvers tip here. You can remain anonymous. Please provide as much information as possible. The tip will be forwarded to the Alcohol Initiatives Section.
If you have information on an underage drinking party
- If it is occurring at the present time, you can call the police non-emergency number at 301-279-8000.
- If you have knowledge of a party planned for a future date, you can call Crime Solvers toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or leave a Crime Solvers tip here. You can remain anonymous. Please provide as much information as possible. The tip will be forwarded to the Alcohol Initiatives Section.
Photo via MCPD
