1: Busted
For many teens in Marin County, sneaking alcohol into a music festival is considered a rite of passage. That is, until they’re caught and cuffed with piles of paperwork for a Minor in Possession (MIP) citation. This is the exact situation for a junior at Redwood, who chose to remain anonymous, and whom we will refer to as “Ken.”Ken easily passed through security at Napa Valley’s BottleRock music festival, having hidden small containers of alcohol in his pants. But before he had the chance to open the shooters (small 1.5oz ready-to-drink shots of alcohol), he was caught.
“I got through the main security checkpoint with some shooters in my underwear. Then, I was really nervous and scared, so I started taking them out. The second I pulled out the shooters, I saw a line of cops come over and tackle me,” Ken said.
He felt humiliated: Pressed up against a wall, handcuffed and at risk of being kicked out of the venue. One woman felt bad for Ken and told the cops she was Ken’s aunt so that he could stay on site.
“She was just right next to me when they put me in handcuffs and she told me she felt so bad for ‘these kids for just trying to have fun,’” Ken said.
Ken understood that what he did was wrong, but still thought the interaction was more intense than necessary.
“[The cops] were a little harsh on me. I don’t think it was a big deal. It’s not like I tried to run from them. I think putting me in handcuffs and leaning me against the wall was a little much,” Ken said.
To School Resource Officer Christopher Dixon of the Central Marin Police Department, the situation of underage teens drinking is seen differently.
“Ultimately, we want everybody to be safe. We know things are gonna happen. It is what it is — you guys are in high school. But, it’s just a matter of being safe,” Dixon said.
For those reasons, minors must be cited and arrested to fully understand the gravity of the circumstance.
Commonly known as an MIP citation, California Business and Profession Code 25662 states that “any person under 21 years of age who possesses any alcoholic beverage on any street or highway or in any public place or any place open to the public is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of $250 or the person shall be required to perform not less than 24 hours or more than 32 hours of community service during hours when the person is not employed or is not attending school.”
Ken recalls the phone call his mom received after the incident at BottleRock. Not only was he full of shame, but he was also afraid of the process and what was going to happen next.
“[Receiving an MIP] scared me, because I thought I was going to have to pay a lot of money, which my mom would not have been happy with and maybe even go all the way back to Napa every weekend [for community service hours], which I’ve heard has happened,” Ken said.
Ken did not face the same kind of repercussions with the law that others may encounter when stuck in a similar situation. During his mom’s phone call with the police, she explained that he’s a “good kid” and she said he doesn’t need resources to cope with his alcohol use. Five months later, his case was dropped.
Had the officers not called Ken’s parents, another option would have been to issue a written citation of the violation to the minor, which would likely be followed by a courtesy notice to his home address. The citation would have information about further steps.
2: Consequences
Officer Dixon explained how the court process typically goes for minors when the issue is not resolved between the officers and the minor’s parents.
“When the first offense happens, you get a citation. We’re going to call your parents. If you’re under 18, you’ll have to go to juvenile court, where they will explain your violation of being in possession,” Dixon said.
Along with being fined, there can be additional ramifications for getting an MIP citation. A major case involves a suspension of a minor’s driver’s license for a year or a delay in receiving a license for up to a year. These consequences only build when offenses repeat. If a minor gets cited with a second MIP, the fine doubles.
“A second offense, the fine is $500,[and] you will have to do community service and you may have to do some alcohol awareness classes,” Dixon said.
It’s even more of a serious offense if you get cited and caught in possession on school property.
“If it’s at school, it’s a misdemeanor 100%. Whereas, depending on what it is in a different situation, it could be an infraction,” Dixon said.
Implications for drunk minors also include parents. If parents are aware of a social gathering or act as a “social host,” involving underage drinking, then they can be cited for social host (an adult held responsible for underage drinking on their property) and child endangerment (putting a minor in a situation that risks their safety or well being).
“Sometimes the parent could lose their job, as now they have a misdemeanor on their record for a minor social host,” Dixon said.
Overall, the goal of a police officer is to keep people safe. The chances of receiving a more serious charge are less likely when someone is acting respectfully and responsibly. Officer Dixon explains his thoughts when encountering a situation where kids are doing their best to avoid problems.
“If I see a kid in a car, clearly intoxicated, that’s considered being drunk in public. I know he had possession at one point, they were obviously drinking something, but I’m not going to go out of my way to cite them. Instead, I’ll call the parents to make sure they know what’s happening and have them come pick the kid up so everyone is safe,” Dixon said.
Receiving an MIP is a catalyst for legal issues down the line. If the case is not handled properly, it can leave a trace on records for future education, jobs and necessary background checks on top of the financial strain faced through hefty fines.
Parents play a major role in helping prevent kids from getting into trouble with alcohol. According to Marin Prevention Network, Marin County sees 49 percent of 11th graders using substances over 30 days compared to the state average of 29 percent. According to Marin Healthy Youth Partnership, Marin County has shown a reputation for being laid back when disciplining substance use, “why should [teenagers] be told they can’t do something that has been demonstrated and normalized by most adults in their lives…Marin adults have communicated through their actions that having a drink, hitting a vape, taking an edible or ingesting a drug is acceptable and a fine option for socializing, de-stressing and coping.”
Officer Dixon noticed this as well during his time serving on the night shift, where he has issued many MIP citations.
“I wouldn’t say it’s the kids’ issues. I’d say it’s more on the parents,” Dixon said. “The parents aren’t disciplining or setting high morals and values. So I can’t always blame the kid for certain things. The biggest challenge is probably that the kids are not necessarily being disrespectful, but just being like, ‘who cares?’”
Court dates and fines are an immediate consequence of an MIP, but the repercussions can hit years later. How the family responds can either let the citation fade out or create a roadblock on a future path.
“When you’re faced with a situation like this, you start thinking, damn, everything I do will have a consequence. It’s like a domino effect,” Dixon said.
3: Aftermath
Cases like Ken’s leaves the minor with fear moving forward. It reminds them that one night of drinking can destroy opportunities down the line.
“The arrest scared my friends. Because I was one of the first [of my friends] to go through [security], they saw what happened to me and all threw out their alcohol before they came in,” Ken said.
Going about things after an incident like this can be challenging, but not impossible. For instance, when a minor turns 18, there’s an opportunity to erase or “seal” a juvenile record from public access.
“When you become 18, you can go to the courts, depending on how things have gone since your citation. If you’ve shown improvement, you can get your record sealed as a juvenile.” Dixon said.
Officer Dixon’s role as School Resource Officer is to help kids get on the right track and set up guardrails that lenient parents might have missed out on.
“I’m all about being proactive in sticky situations. ‘Hey, you messed up. Let’s figure this out, right?’ But my biggest thing is patterns. If you continue to repeat things, you start to force my hand at this point and make me take disciplinary action. Then make it harder to set yourself up for success,” Dixon said.
