Sober Illinois Teens Ticketed at Party

An ordinance in Naperville, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, allows police to ticket minors for simply being present at a party where alcohol is consumed, the Associated Press reported Aug. 14.

Police have written 100 citations in the first six months of this year to people who are under 21 and attending a party where underage peers are drinking. Those who are cited must appear in court and could face a fine of $35 as well as 20 hours of community service.

"We're trying to be involved in the situation and recognize the tragic and sometimes horrific outcomes of these underage parties," said Naperville police Lt. Dave Hilderbrand. "We're trying to take a bit more of an ambitious step."

But the ordinance has quickly become a contentious issue, leading the city to call a public hearing in September. Because of the controversy, the Naperville Police Department has stopped publishing the names of those ticketed.

Parents are complaining that the police are going after the wrong group. Many teens are upset that they are being ticketed even though they are acting responsible and not drinking.

But Naperville city attorney Frank Cuneo said minors shouldn't be present at parties where alcohol is served. "If parents did their jobs, we wouldn't need this ordinance," he said.

James Mosher, a research attorney at the nonprofit Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, questions the effectiveness and legality of the law.

"You don't want to punish young people who have made the decision not to drink," said Mosher. "I think there is a fundamental constitutional problem with it. I can certainly appreciate the police wanting to have this. But the idea that you have to leave a place because someone is committing a crime and you are not, is fundamentally unfair."