AMARILLO POLICE DEPARTMENT
MEDIA/PUBLIC RELEASE
DATE: March 22, 2022
CASE NUMBER:
INCIDENT TYPE: Spring Break Underage Drinking Deterrence
OFFICER SUBMITTING RELEASE: Martin Birkenfeld-Chief of Police; Sgt. Carla Burr-PIO
DETAILS: The Amarillo Police Department is dedicated to reducing underage drinking in Amarillo. Underage drinking causes countless incidents where young people are involved in alcohol related fights, assaults, vehicle crashes, and alcohol overdoses.
During the week of Spring Break, the department assigned officers extra duty to work on this project because of the likelihood of underage drinking parties and other alcohol related events involving minors.
Police officers wrote 23 citations for minors possessing alcohol. They also wrote 4 citations for possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, conducted numerous bar checks, and over 250 other checks of reported problem areas and schools. Many of the citations resulted from those location checks.
Police investigators have identified a liquor store that sold alcohol to minors on multiple occasions. Reports have been turned over to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for administrative action.
Chief Birkenfeld adds, “I want to thank the investigators who spent extra time working on this issue during spring break. Our community has told us that underage drinking is not acceptable. Our City Council has made a proclamation today about alcohol awareness. Our young people deserve to grow up healthy, and we are dedicated to doing our part to keep our city a safe place to live, work, and play.”
The police department appreciates the crime tips received and we encourage the community to continue to send us information to help curb this problem.
