LAWRENCE: Law to offer immunity to underage Samaritans

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   Township Council gave final approval last week to 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.
   Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun told Township Council that the amendment provides immunity from criminal prosecution for up to three under-age persons who call for help to assist an under-age person who is in distress.
   The under-age person who is in distress also would be immune from criminal prosecution.
   The township ordinance already prohibits the possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages on private property. The revised ordinance expands the definition 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.
   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 there until help arrives, and also cooperate with police and emergency medical technicians.
   Rider University officials are “very pleased” with the amended ordinance, said Daniel Higgins, the university’s director of public relations. The school will continue to encourage students to seek help immediately if someone has had too much to drink, he said.
   Mr. Higgins pointed out that state legislation signed into law in 2009 provided immunity from criminal prosecution for under-age persons who called 911 to report the emergency. The township’s ordinance expands it to include callers who contact a school’s public safety agency.
   Violations of the ordinance for those without immunity include a fine of $250 for the first offense and a fine of $350 for the 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.