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Careless 'cool parents' need to take more heat
Why are there so few citations from Bakersfield's and Kern County's 'cool parent' ordinances?
| Monday, Apr 14 2008 7:03 PM
Last Updated: Monday, Apr 14 2008 7:04 PM
Teens have enough opportunity to veer into troublesome situations without wrong-headed adults pointing the way.
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That's why the so-called "cool parent" ordinances, passed in recent years by the County of Kern and the City of Bakersfield, are appropriate and useful. The separate but similar ordinances allow law enforcement agencies to issue administrative citations -- civil rather than criminal summonses -- to adults who host parties where alcohol is served to minors.
Both versions of the "social host" ordinance specify a $1,000 fine, in addition to any monetary penalties or jail time that might result from related criminal charges, such as contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
But it's frustrating to see the ordinances applied so infrequently. Since July 2006, the Kern County Sheriff's Department has issued "cool parent" citations for alleged violations stemming from just two incidents.
This despite the fact that, during that time, the Sheriff's Department has made 135 arrests for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, 15 arrests for providing alcohol to a minor, and 16 arrests that cited the noise ordinance. It's unclear how many of those arrests had the components necessary to fulfill the conditions set forth in the ordinance, but it seems likely that some of those 15 people who provided minors with alcohol, for example, did so in a residential setting they controlled.
The only people cited under the county's "cool parent" ordinance since July 2006 have been Liana Hawatmeh and her daughter Amanda Hawatmeh, who hosted an out-of-control party in west Bakersfield in late March; and four members of the Drakos family, whose December 2006 party in La Cresta area of northeast Bakersfield ended with six stabbed teens.
Christopher James Drakos and his sons Christopher Ryan Drakos, William Zachary Drakos and Nathan Jacob Drakos were arrested on misdemeanor charges. The elder Drakos pleaded no contest and received a deferred sentence -- meaning if he stays out of trouble for one year, the charge against him will be dismissed -- so the $1,000 social-host fine he paid represents his only penalty.
Charges against his 19-year-old son Christopher were dropped -- so, if not the for "cool parent" ordinance, they would have escaped with little more than ongoing inconvenience. The younger sons were to have performed community service.
The Bakersfield Police Department has issued no "cool parent" citations at all in the 20 months since the City Council enacted the ordinance.
They almost certainly could have. BPD has made 19 arrests for contributing to the delinquency of a minor since July 2006, including three this year. All of those arrests were made at the scene of a party or event where an adult was either providing or allowing minors to consume alcohol.
Why no "cool parent" citations? Good question -- but some BPD officials were unaware the city had such an ordinance until we reminded them.
It's important that the "cool parent" ordinances be enforced because some adults are clearly living on another planet when it comes to teens and alcohol. Since the charges most often associated with these incidents are misdemeanors, jail time is rare. As a result, the $1,000 fine that accompanies "cool parent" citations (or community-service requirements for minors) is likely the harshest part of the sentence. It may not be much of a deterrent, but it's something.
More important, the few "cool parent" citations that have been issued have generated plenty of news coverage. And the greater the exposure the public gets to this sort of absurd behavior, the greater the chance adults will be reluctant to turn their homes into saloons next time the opportunity presents itself.
By the way: April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Sponsors suggest parents take this opportunity to have a serious discussion with teens about drinking. We suggests parents look in the mirror as well.