The Middletown Township Police Department will be continuing their proactive enforcement grant program, COPS in SHOPS, with 10 scheduled details between April 30 and May 31, 2010. During the months of April and May, five high schools in Middletown Township will be hosting a total of 6 proms in and around the immediate area, and these details will be run in conjunction with these proms, as well as over the course of the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

By participating in the COPS in SHOPS Program, the Middletown Police Department works in cooperation with local liquor establishments to identify and prevent the sale of alcohol to underage persons. The Police Department will utilize both uniformed and plain clothes officers during this cooperative effort to enforce New Jersey’s underage drinking statutes.

The COPS in SHOPS Program has resulted in the arrest of 25 individuals for alcohol related offenses during this same time period in 2009. Since the beginning of the current grant cycle which began June 1, 2009, the program has resulted in the arrest of 8 individuals for alcohol related offenses over the course of 9 details. The Program is funded by the State of New Jersey, Department of Law and Public Safety, Division of Alcohol Beverage Control, and runs through May 31, 2010.

Anyone with questions about the program or the grant itself can contact Sgt. John Kaiser, Middletown Township Police Department, at 732-615-2041 or JKaiser@Middletownnj.org.