PENINSULA — The number of minors drinking or using tobacco on the Peninsula is at a record low, according to Long Beach Police Department records.

In 2011, the department recorded 24 minor in possessions (MIPs). Since 2012, there have been an average of roughly five MIPs a year, Police Chief Flint Wright said

“It’s always possible kids are getting better at hiding it, but we’re seeing a drop across the board,” Wright said.

Calls for noise complaints, often tied to teen parties, have dropped at the same rate as MIPs. For the first time in over five years, no MIPs were issued on New Year’s and there were no major under-aged parties discovered, Wright said.

“It’s not one thing that’s helped, but I really think it has a lot to do with the fact that programs have gotten into schools to educate kids,” he said.

In 2011, WellSpring Community Network, a grassroots effort dedicated to reducing substance abuse by children, received a grant to staff someone within Ocean Beach School District to work with students to be alcohol and tobacco-free.

The program resulted in Youth Empowerment Squad and Youth Action Klub, which are school-based prevention coalitions led by students. Club members help create substance-free events during nights that are historically popular for drinking, such as prom, Halloween or after big games.

On Feb. 8, WellSpring Coalition Coordinator Vinessa Karnofski talked with local retailers during a Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board training session.

“I’m hoping we can form an alliance,” Karnofski said. “It seems pretty cut and dry — I never talk to anyone who is OK with their 16-year-old drinking. But there is this gray area.”

She talked about parents who create supervised drinking environments, or an adult who maybe brings their almost 21-year-old to the bars.

“We have to remember it takes until you’re 23 before your brain is formed enough to really make sound decisions,” she said. “If you introduce something that is addictive to a minor, it changes the chemistry in their brain.”

Those who attended the meeting were bartenders, convenience store clerks and restaurant employees. The audience of fewer than 10 had either accumulated selling violations for serving minors, or just needed to take a refreshment course on state laws.

Sgt. Marvin Madtson of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board said many convenience stores united on the Peninsula by forming Peninsula-wide rules to ensure they aren’t selling to minors, for example by rejecting vertical identification cards issued to those below legal age.

He discussed with local retailers whether there is a need for monthly responsible liquor and tobacco sales training in Pacific County. He said while there were regular classes offered in Vancouver and Longview, they have never been consistent in Pacific County.

“I’m really looking to this community and you guys, bartenders and restaurant workers, to see if there is a need for Pacific County to have regular classes,” Madtson said.

The next meeting will be March 28, from 10 a.m. to noon at the South Pacific County Building. Madston can be reached at 360-448-8416 for questions or comments.