Arlington Hts. parents could be fined up to $5,000 for letting kids drink

Arlington Heights is taking a stand against social hosting - parents who allow teens and other underage people to drink in their homes - by sharply hiking the fines to between $1,000 and $5,000, the highest in the suburbs.

The old Arlington Heights code called for fines of $5 to $750 for any adults caught facilitating underage drinking.

The exact fine imposed would be at the discretion of a judge, but officials say they hope the steep guidelines send a strong message.

"We think it should help serve as a deterrent to help keep these parties from going on," said Assistant Village Attorney Robin Ward.

Police said they haven't had any cases of social hosting in the past year or two, but they are trying to be proactive.

With Monday's village board action, Arlington Heights now has the highest maximum fine in the area, Ward said. In December, Wheeling a approved a minimum fine of $1,000 for social hosting violations, and Buffalo Grove has fines between $1,000 and $2,000.

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which has a sample social host ordinance on its website, 150 municipalities in 24 states have passed such laws.

Officials said it can be hard to know how effective social host laws are because there's no way to track how many underage parties are averted.

However, in a self-reported study of teenagers who drink, more than 20 percent said they get alcohol with the permission of adults who are not their parents, said Jorie Ouimet, of the Link Together Coalition - a group that supports alcohol- and drug-free youths in Wheeling Township.

"We need to send a strong message to our community that social hosting is completely unacceptable," Ouimet said. "This is not just a parent issue. It's not just a school issue. It's a community issue."

Trustee Bert Rosenberg voted for the fine increase but said he thinks the increases are too much.

"I know you want to send a message, but it seems a little outrageous," he said, bringing up the possibility of a child having a party where the parents don't know there is underage drinking.

"Ultimately parents are responsible for their property and it is their job to be monitoring that," Ouimet said. "When there's a possibility of a teenager drinking, driving and killing themselves or someone else, you can't put a price tag on safety."

Ouimet said her group will send brochures home to families of all freshmen in Northwest Suburban High School District 214 so there is no excuse for parents not knowing the rules and consequences.

"Anything we can do to be a deterrent (we should do)," Arlington Heights Trustee Robin Labedz said. "We just really need to protect our kids the best we can before it happens."