"Speak Out" is an expression of opinion from the Editorial Board of WBTV, and is presented by General Manager, Nick Simonette.
Parents: OPEN YOUR EYES. Teenagers are drinking alcohol. Underage kids *are* buying and consuming beer, wine, and liquor. Lots of it.
Monroe Police Chief Debra Duncan says, "We have a problem with underage drinking, binge drinking with juveniles, and I think it's very important to let people know we are not going to put up with it."
Her town of Monroe is doing something about the fact kids get drunk. Good for Monroe. We think it's good to face the issue head-on.
Duncan's officers are cracking down on how teens buy alcohol -- Last week they announced the findings of a three-month undercover investigation.
ABC officers sent an 18-year-old hooked up to a hidden camera into 128 establishments. 37 sold. That's almost 30-percent. Not good. Officers consider that a failure. The stores will be cited. They'll never say it publicly, but some of the stores could consider that fine just a cost of doing business.
Which is where, once again, parents -- you come into play. It's what we said when we started this SpeakOut editorial: OPEN YOUR EYES. Teenagers are drinking. Stores are selling. And Prom season is approaching. Talk to your kids about this issue. Ultimately, the buck must stop with you.
Because WBTV is "On Your Side," we encourage everyone to "Speak Out" - tell us what YOU think. SpeakOut@wbtv.com.
