MPD adopts amnesty policy to prevent underage drinking citations during medical emergencies

MADISON, Wis. – The Madison Police Department is introducing a new policy that shields people from underage drinking citations if they call for help during a medical emergency.

The Amnesty Through Responsible Action program goes into effect Tuesday. The immunity covers both the person who is incapacitated by alcohol and/or drugs as well as the person who calls for help. The caller also must remain with the impaired individual until medical help arrives and cooperate with emergency responders.

The goal is to put safety first.

“If you need medical help, don’t let fear of getting a ticket or anything like that stop you from calling for help,” said Lt. Jimmy Imoehl, who helped write the policy.

The policy is similar to one already in place by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department. The MPD policy also prevents someone from being cited for underage drinking if they are a victim of a crime, such as sexual assault or violence.

“Our policy is a promise to the public that, if you call for help, it doesn’t matter which officer you get, they will not be writing these tickets,” Imoehl said.

The policy does not apply if contact is initiated by police or other emergency responders or to other violations that may be occurring at the same time – such as supplying an underage person with alcohol or using a fake identification.

For those under the age of 18, officers will notify a parent, guardian or legal custodian as soon as possible.

You can read more about the Amnesty Through Responsible Action program at the MPD website.