Officers from 13 police departments are banding together to form the Cumberland County Underage Drinking Enforcement Taskforce, members announced in a press release. Because prom and graduation season is often associated with celebration, the task force will use increased monitoring and youth-focused patrols during the spring and summer months to encourage teens to be safe, the press release stated.
During a recent meeting, officers outlined the goals for their first excursion, on Saturday, May 18 — prom night for Yarmouth, South Portland and Cape Elizabeth high schools.
According to South Portland Chief of Police Edward Googins, prom season "is also a time of tragedy for too many young people and their families." Googins said in a press release that he is committed to the Underage Drinking Enforcement Taskforce because of the role the group will play in substance abuse prevention.
Based on data from a 2011 survey of Maine youth, officers are hopeful that their presence will deter teen substance abuse. Of teens in the survey who thought they would be caught by police, 85 percent chose not to drink. Members of the task force said their presence will also dissuade parents who may consider hosting parties with alcohol.
Funded by a federal Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws grant, the task force plans to use both uniformed and plainclothes officers in marked and unmarked vehicles, the press release stated. Their group will check in with school administrators during prom festivities as well as patrol the surrounding regions throughout the night.
The taskforce includes officers from the Cumberland County Sheriff's office, Maine State Police Troop B, as well as police departments in Brunswick, Falmouth, Freeport, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Bridgton, Yarmouth, Windham and Westbrook.
Modeled in the same way as a similar task force in Lewiston-Auburn, this group features officers with prior experience in underage drinking enforcement as well as several school resource officers to build on their longstanding relationships with school administration.
The collaboration of so many police departments means increased patrol and response capacity for all participating towns.
"It shows how important the concern for underage drinking is among area law enforcement personnel," said Westbrook Police Captain Tom Roth.

Police identified the driver of a motorcycle involved in a fatal crash on Sunday, May 12, in Portland as Mario Saravia, 27, of Portland. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Portland Police Department Traffic Division, police said.
The fatal motorcycle crash occurred at approximately 3:30 a.m. Sunday on Ocean Avenue, police said. The motorcycle was traveling east on Ocean Avenue near Wellwood Road, when it failed to negotiate the curve and left the roadway, police reported. Saravia was not wearing a helmet, police said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Portland Police Department Traffic Division. Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to call the Portland Police Department Traffic Division at 874-8532.

Sunday, May 5

12 a.m., George Odwar, 34, of Portland, was arrested for operating under the influence on I-295 by Officer Charles Ames.
12 a.m., Christopher Cohen, 35, of Portland, was arrested for indecent conduct on Commercial Street by Lt. Gary Hutcheson.
1 a.m., Dence Manguda, 24, of Portland, was arrested for operating after suspension on Riverside Street by Officer Jeffrey Druan.
1 a.m., Mohamed Ashkir, 26, of Portland, was arrested for criminal trespass on Riverside Street by Officer Jeffrey Druan.
2 a.m., Stephen Tapley, 30, of Lewiston, was arrested for assault and criminal mischief on Riverside Street by Officer Zachary Finley.
9 a.m, Rogers Harrell, 46, of address unknown, was arrested on a warrant for theft by unauthorized taking or transfer on Marginal Way by Officer Andjelko Napijalo.
12 p.m., Kimberly Marie Velez, 26, of Portland, was arrested on a warrant for unlawful possession of scheduled drugs on Oxford Street by Officer Andjelko Napijalo.
6 p.m., Paulette Brannon, 61, of Portland, was arrested for criminal trespass on Bramhall Street by Officer Eric Johnson.
6 p.m., Kari Lofgren, 30, of Portland, was arrested for theft by unauthorized taking or transfer on Auburn Street by Officer Marjory Clavet.
7 p.m., Batista Bazeya, 33, of Portland, was arrested for assault and aggravated assault on Boyd Street by Officer Matthew Rider.
11 p.m., Joshua Haycock, 31, of Brunswick, was arrested for elevated aggravated assault on Madeline Drive by Officer Michael Bennis.
11 p.m., Shane Patrick Grant, 34, of Portland, was arrested for criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon on India Street by Officer Edward Ireton.

Monday, May 6

1 a.m., Walter Haycock, 62, of Brunswick, was arrested for elevated aggravated assault on Madeline Drive by Officer Michael Bennis.
1 a.m., Dennis Splude, 56, of Portland, was arrested on a warrant for unlawful possession of scheduled drugs by Officer Edward Ireton.
2 a.m., Walter Omal, 22, of address unknown, was arrested for criminal trespass on Boyd Street by Officer Jonathan Reeder.
8 a.m., Benjamin Cote, 32, of Portland, was arrested for burglary of a motor vehicle and on a warrant for theft by unauthorized taking or transfer on Riverside Street by Officer John Cunniff.
12 p.m., Stephen Alan Dill, 31, of Portland, was arrested for unlawful trafficking in drugs on Oxford Street by officer Andjelko Napijalo.
5 p.m., Clyde Walsh, 52, of Athens, Ohio, was arrested for public drinking on Congress Street by Officer Joshua McDonald.
7 p.m., Jose Guerra, 53, of address unknown, was arrested for criminal trespass on Oxford Street by Officer Cong Van Nguyen.
9 p.m., Jeremy Delano, 36, of Westbrook, was arrested for reckless conduct on Forest Avenue by Officer Jamie Beals.
10 p.m., Gabriel Williams, 28, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was arrested for unlawful possession of scheduled drugs on Congress Street by Officer Joshua McDonald.
11 p.m., Matthew Keller, 34, of Portland, was arrested for operating after suspension on East Oxford Street by Officer Charles Ames.
11 p.m., Andrew Fontaine, 36, of Gray, was arrested for theft by unauthorized taking or transfer on Pine Street by officer Christopher Kelley.

Tuesday, May 7

12 a.m., Jabril Koshin, 36, of address unknown, was arrested for criminal trespass on Auburn Street by Officer Kevin Murphy.
12 a.m., Alisha Ramsey, 24, of Windham, was arrested for violation of a protection order and violation of protection order from abuse on Riverside Street by Officer Evan Bomba.
12 a.m., Daniel Alan Seavey, 26, of Portland, was arrested for unlawful possession of scheduled drugs on Cumberland Avenue by Officer Daniel Rose.
1 p.m., Tammy Lee Elwell, 44, of Brunswick, was arrested on a warrant for operating under the influence on High Street by Officer Robert Pelletier.
2 p.m., Jin Culvert, 42, of Portland, was arrested for operating after suspension on Middle Street by Officer James Keddy.
6 p.m., William Conley, 53, of address unknown, was arrested for theft by unauthorized taking or transfer on Commercial Street by Officer Gayle Petty.
7 p.m., Robert Hamilton, 26, of Portland, was arrested for unsworn falsification on Grant Street by Officer Joshua McDonald.

Wednesday, May 8

12 a.m., Matthew Phillip Tozier, 34, of Portland, was arrested for violation of conditional release and violation of bail conditions on Washington Avenue by Officer Samuel Turner.
1 a.m., Johney Reed, 44, of Portland, was arrested for theft by unauthorized taking or transfer and trafficking in dangerous knives on Park Avenue by Officer Michael Galietta.
9 a.m., Quintin Lamar McFadden, 29, of Portland, was arrested for assault on Danforth Street by Officer John Morin.
10 a.m., John McDonald, 26, of Portland, was arrested for operating after revoked for habitual offender on Congress Street by Officer Daniel Rose.
10 a.m., Robert Leon Joy, 52, of Portland, was arrested for assault on Congress Street by Officer John Morin.
12 p.m., Robert Reynolds, 51, of address unknown, was arrested for criminal trespass on Congress Street by Officer Mark Kezal.
12 p.m., Renaldo Lowry, 19, of Westbrook, was arrested for theft by unauthorized taking or transfer on Auburn Street by Officer Joseph Bliss.
7 p.m., Dale Austin Maddocks, 67, of Eastport, was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon on Riverside Street by Officer Jessica Brown.
7 p.m., Bonnie MacGregor, 52, of Eastport, was arrested for criminal trespass on Larabbee Road by Officer Jessica Brown.

Thursday, May 9

10 a.m., Deanna Bourn, 23, of Portland, was arrested for assault on State Street by Officer Robert Pelletier.
12 p.m., Janet Marie Storer, 47, of address unknown, was arrested for violation of bail conditions on Lancaster Street by Officer John Morin.
5 p.m., Philip Bartley, 36, of address unknown, was arrested for public drinking on Avon Street by Officer Laurence Smith, Jr.
6 p.m., Richard Rogers, 43, of address unknown, was arrested for obstructing public ways on Congress Street by Sgt. Jeffrey Viola.
10 p.m., Janyl Hart, 35, of South Portland, was arrested for operating under the influence on Ocean Avenue by Officer Mathew Dissell.
11 p.m., Christopher Lasonde, 25, of Kittery Point, was arrested for theft by unauthorized taking or transfer and theft of services on Wharf Street by Officer David Cote.

Friday, May 10

1 a.m., Sean Kane, 36, of Cape Elizabeth, was arrested for obstructing government administration on University Street by Officer Eric McCusker.
7 a.m., Joseph Ciampi, 23, of Portland, was arrested for aggravated furnishing/ trafficking scheduled drugs and unlawfully furnishing scheduled drugs on Oxford Street by Officer Andjelko Napijalo.
7 a.m., Matthew Angelo Villacci, 34, of Portland, was arrested for unlawful possession of scheduled drugs on Portland Street by Officer Matthew Rider.
12 p.m., Robin Trout, 38, of Portland, was arrested for assault on Brighton Avenue by Officer Christopher Sibley.
3 p.m., Michael Leroy Roberts, 34, of address unknown, was arrested on a warrant for assault on Park Avenue by Officer Cong Van Nguyen.
4 p.m., Hazelwood John Aaron, 29, of address unknown, was arrested for public drinking on Congress Street by Officer Gayle Petty.

Saturday, May 11

12 a.m., Paolo Patriotti, 18, of Windham, was arrested for violation of conditional release and refusing to submit to arrest or detention on Forest Avenue by Sgt. Eric Nevins.
4 a.m., Dusty Leo, 22, of Portland, was arrested on a warrant for theft by unauthorized taking or transfer on North Street by Officer Christopher Coyne.
1 p.m., Michael Jay Anthony, 26, of Portland, was arrested for obstructing government administration on Cumberland Avenue by Officer Matthew Rider.
5 p.m., George Given, 57, of address unknown, was arrested for terrorizing and criminal threatening on Fore Street by Officer Dan Aguilera.
6 p.m., John Edgar Bouchard, 51, of address unknown, was arrested for public drinking and carrying a concealed weapon on Middle Street by Officer Thien Duong.
8 p.m., Jessica Harris, 23, of Far Rockaway, N.Y., was arrested for unlawful possession of scheduled drugs on Allen Avenue by Officer Evan Bomba.
(Information furnished by the Portland Police Department.)