LAWRENCE: Good Samaritan law introduced

By Lea Kahn
   Township Council has introduced an amended ordinance that would remove criminal penalties for under-age drinkers who report that a friend — who is also under 21 years old — is in distress from drinking too much alcohol.
   The proposed ordinance amendment, introduced at Township Council’s April 5 meeting, is set for a public hearing at the council’s rescheduled meeting tonight, Thursday. The April 19 meeting was rescheduled because of the Jewish holiday of Passover.
   Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun told Township Council that “if you call 911 or a public safety agency to report an under-age drinker in distress, up to three (under-aged) people are immune from prosecution.”
   The under-age person who is in distress also would be immune from prosecution.
   Violations of the ordinance for those without immunity include a fine of $250 for the first offense and a fine of $350 for a second or subsequent offense. Additional penalties may include a six-month suspension of the violator’s driving privileges, if the person already has a driver’s license.
   But if the violator is less than 17 years old, that person would not be eligible to obtain a driver’s license for six months after his or her 17th birthday, according to the ordinance.
   The ordinance already prohibits the possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages on private property. The revised ordinance expands the definition of private property to include schools — “any public or private institution of learning” or “any college or university.”
   The revised ordinance offers a new “lifeline exemption,” which removes criminal penalties for up to three under-age persons who call 911 or the school’s public safety agency to report that another under-age person needs medical help because he or she drank too much alcohol.
   According to the ordinance, criminal penalties would not apply if the under-age person who called for help provides his or her name to the 911 operator or the school public safety agency, and that person was the first one to make the call. The caller must remain on the scene until help arrives, and also cooperate with police and emergency medical technicians.
   ”This is a very good ordinance,” Mayor Greg Puliti said. “It will help in the long run.”