Augusta Police Department cracks down on underage drinking

So far this year the Augusta Police Department has done around 300 hours of underage drinking details.

They were given two grants, one from Healthy Communities of the Capital Area and one from Dirigo Safety LLC, to help with that.

It includes patrolling for underage drinking around the city as well as at big events like proms, graduations, and sporting events.

They also go into stores that sell alcohol to check for compliance.

"I think that we've had a lot of success because people will see us out in the community and kind of have that understanding that when there are events where kids might be around or minors might be around that (a) if there is an issue with alcohol, we're going to be right there to address it, and (b) that a lot of those things are deterrents by having the officers there," said Augusta Police Staff Sgt. Christian Behr.

Hallowell Police also got one of the grants and will step up enforcement of underage drinking too.