As the aroma of freedom and adulthood wafts over Queen Creek’s graduating seniors, the local police department steps up, not to rain on the parade but to ensure it doesn’t end in tragedy. “Graduation is a time for celebration and we want to ensure everyone celebrates safely and responsibly,” Queen Creek Police Department Chief Randy Brice stated, as reported by the town’s official website.
Simple measures like wearing seatbelts and watching for the spike in traffic around venues can make substantial differences in keeping the post-ceremony escapades from taking a dark turn. The police aren’t just throwing out suggestions and hoping for the best; they plan on beefing up patrols and enforcing rules around alcohol, drugs, and impaired driving through the weekend because, as we all know, laws don’t relax, not even in the face of tasseled caps and diplomas. It’s not just about keeping an eye on the boozy antics, the QCPD imposes a curfew that parents and partiers alike should mark: 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. if you’re 15 or under, and midnight to 5 a.m. for those 16 and 17-year-olds.
And for those throwing parties, don’t think you’re off the hook. The police explicitly call on hosts to keep the revelry in check. We’re talking monitoring party activities, guaranteeing all have a safe ride home, and dialing up QCPD’s non-emergency line when things start to tread into illegal, loud or overcrowded territory—or when the traffic situation starts to mimic a small-scale reenactment of weekend gridlock…