Front Range Police “Working It” for Proms
Unfortunately, drinking and driving is often as much a part of the prom scene as are gowns, corsages and tuxes. Some high schools across the country have addressed the problem by requiring students to submit to breathalyzer tests before allowing them to take part in all school dances, including proms. Here in Colorado, law enforcement officers make an effort to keep teens safe during prom season by hitting the streets with extra DUI patrols.
The U.S. Department of Transportation considers the months of March, April and May to be high-risk periods for fatal accidents involving teenaged drivers, primarily due to graduation and prom-night celebrations. According to that agency, during that three-month period in 2009, (the most recent year for which statistics are available), nationwide 386 people aged 15-20 were killed in traffic crashes involving a 15- to 20-year-old driver. Of that number, 170 drivers (or 44 per cent) had been drinking.
Many police and sheriff’s departments across the Front Range will be putting extra officers — ones specifically dedicated to impaired driving enforcement — on the roads in the coming weeks. The Colorado Department of Transportation provided the following list of departments that will be increasing patrols during prom time.
Arvada Police Department – April 15-16 and April 29-30
Commerce City Police Department – April 9-May 22
Denver Police Department – Will have special, increased patrols for the following schools and locations:
April 16-17 – West High School (Grand Hyatt downtown) and Kennedy High School
April 22-23 – Thomas Jefferson High School
April 23-24 – Lincoln High School (Coors Field), Montbello High School (Aquarium)
May 7-8 – South High School
May 14-15 – East High School (Invesco Field), George Washington High School (Mile Hi Station)
Erie Police Department – April 29-30
Fort Collins Police Department – April 29-May 1 and May 6-8 (Two proms are scheduled for
May 7)
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office – April 15-May 1 – Increased patrols near schools that are
hosting after-prom events
Larimer County Sheriff’s Office – April 15-17 – Fort Collins High School prom April 15, and
Loveland High School prom April 16
April 20-May 1- Fossil Ridge and Rocky Mountain High
School