PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In Wisconsin, the leading cause of injury and death among young people ages 16 to 24 is alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes. Statewide surveys of high school seniors conducted in 1995 indicated that 77 percent reported using alcohol several times a year or more, 55 percent drank one to three times per month and 24 percent drank a least once a week. Binge drinking (consuming five or more drinks in a single episode) was reported by nearly half of high school seniors. At the college level in Wisconsin binge drinking was reported by 65 percent of drinkers, the highest level in the nation. Data indicate that binge drinkers are 10 times more likely to drive after drinking and much less likely to use safety restraints.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Cops in Shops program initiated in 1995 by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), is to reduce the availability of alcohol to underage youth by focusing on the illegal purchaser. By reducing availability, the program hoped to decrease the incidence and severity of youth involved alcohol-related traffic crashes in participating communities. The specific objectives of Cops in Shops were to:

• Increase public awareness of the high risk relationship between underage drinking and alcohol-related crashes
• Develop a collaborative relationship between law enforcement and licensed retail establishments
• Increase the perception that individuals attempting to illegally purchase alcohol will be caught and cited

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
Cops in Shops was piloted by WisDOT's Bureau of Transportation Safety in 288 convenience, grocery and liquor stores statewide. Program planning involved the cooperative efforts of law enforcement, retailers, prosecutors, judiciary, alcohol professionals and community representatives. Cops in Shops is not a sting operation of retail establishments, where underage individuals are sent to try to purchase alcohol. Rather, participating police departments send officers to each establishment to conduct a training session with clerks to assist them in detecting false identification, identifying underage purchasers and recognizing intoxicated customers. As a result, clerks are more easily able to prevent sales to underage consumers.

After training was complete, officers from 58 law enforcement departments went into retail establishments, posing as clerks or customers. Citations for fake, altered or borrowed identification were issued, as well as for adults purchasing alcohol for minors.

A public awareness and media campaign was also launched, to establish greater community collaboration and support. Using signs, posters, public service announcements, press releases and videos there was an increase in community perception that "Someone is watching you, and you will be apprehended".

RESULTS As a result of the Cops in Shops pilot, youth alcohol-related crashes in 1996 decreased by 9 percent. Citations for underage purchasers totaled 898; adult citations were 33 percent greater at 1,194. This unexpected result, while not a primary goal of the program, identifies a further issue to be addressed in countermeasure programming.

FUNDING   Section 402: $57,725   Section 410: $245,540 CONTACT     Mary Miller State Program Manager Wisconsin Department of Transportation P.O. Box 7936 Madison, WI 53707-7936 (608) 267-3155