Department of Justice Announces $19 Million in Awards to Enforce Underage Drinking Laws

    WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 /EMWNews/ -- The Department of

Justice's Office of Justice Programs (OJP) today announced block grant

awards of more than $19 million to 50 states, five territories and the

District of Columbia to enforce state and local underage drinking laws. The

awards are made through the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL)

program, which supports activities in law enforcement, public education

programs, and innovative methods for reaching youth.



    "We need to do everything in our power to protect the futures of our

nation's best and brightest," said Jeffrey L. Sedgwick, Acting Assistant

Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. "This funding will

support law enforcement and community efforts to curb underage drinking and

save lives."



    The EUDL program, administered by OJP's Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), is the only federal initiative directed

exclusively toward preventing underage drinking. As part of this

initiative, each state, territory, and the District of Columbia received

$350,000 in the form of block grants.



    The awards support a wide range of activities including a strong

emphasis on compliance checks of retail alcohol outlets to reduce sales to

minors, crackdowns on false identification, programs to reduce older youth

or adults from providing alcohol to minors, "party patrols" to prevent

access to alcohol at large youth gatherings, and "cops in shops" to deter

minors' attempts to purchase alcohol.



    OJJDP is sponsoring the 10th Annual National Enforcement of Underage

Drinking Laws Program Conference in Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 21-23, which

will highlight the notable accomplishments of community and enforcement

leaders who have successfully sought to reduce youth access to alcohol.



    The conference, "A Notable History: Forging the Future," will unite

nearly 2,000 state EUDL coordinators, law enforcement officers, executives,

government officials, military leaders, judges, community members, youth

and prevention advocates, and focus on evidence-based strategies to reduce

youth access to alcohol.



    The Office of Justice Programs, headed by Acting Assistant Attorney

General Jeffrey L. Sedgwick, provides federal leadership in developing the

nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and

assist victims. OJP has five component bureaus: the Bureau of Justice

Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of

Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the

Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, OJP has two program offices: the

Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed

strategy, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring,

Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). More information can be

found at http://www.ojp.gov.