A growing trend to hold parents responsible

Ramsey Police Chief James Way always prepares for more underage drinking parties during the summer. But this year he wants to have a new tool to target parents who host parties where alcohol is served to minors.

Ramsey is the latest city in the metro area to consider an ordinance that holds parents criminally liable when minors are allowed to drink alcohol at their homes. At Tuesday night's council work session, council members will discuss the issue and decide if they are interested in enacting an ordinance.

"If you're going to allow under-agers to drink at your residence, then you're going to be held responsible," Way said.

The law originated in Chaska last fall and since then has been adopted mostly by south metro suburbs and outstate cities such as Mankato, Red Wing, Lakeville and Waseca. In Chaska, the city has prosecuted about a half-dozen cases under the so-called social host law.

The ordinance that Way intends to present to the City Council would make it illegal for any person to host or allow a gathering with alcohol, if the person knows that anyone under 21 is drinking or planning to drink. The law would apply at a home, field or hotel, and the adult would not have to be present to be held criminally responsible.

Law helps rural cities

The ordinance makes sense for Ramsey, because the city has areas that are more rural and make it difficult for law enforcement to track down underage drinking parties, Way said.

"We have issues a few times a year with parties at a house and the parents often times know about it," he said.

In rare cases, parents who are out of town have told police officers they would wait until they returned from vacation before dealing with their kids who threw parties in their absence, Way said.

"They say they'll deal with it when they get home, but we need to deal with it now," he said. "If you continue to allow it after we've warned you, now you're going to be held responsible."

Ramsey City Council Member Matt Look said he would probably be in support of the ordinance, but he hasn't reviewed the details yet. The council could make changes to the ordinance that Way is presenting on Tuesday. The measure would also have to go through a full approval process, which would take a couple of months and would allow residents to weigh in.

"If there are adults who are creating an environment where kids have easy access to alcohol, then they should have repercussions," Look said. "This ordinance would more clearly define that if it's under your roof and you're there, you're responsible."

Critics of social host ordinances say the laws impinge on the rights of parents and warn that parents who don't know their kids are drinking could be held responsible.

As the laws now stand, officers can cite minors for drinking, but they can prosecute parents only if they purchased the alcohol. Way said having the ability to hold parents liable if they provide a place to drink will help his department control underage drinking.

Providing alcohol to minors is a gross misdemeanor, which can bring up to a year in prison and a $3,000 fine. If Ramsey Council members decide to approve this new ordinance, it would likely be a misdemeanor, Way said.

Lora Pabst • 612-673-4628