Operation Hotel "Check Out"

An initiative to encourage hotel and motel owners to "check out" who is renting their guest rooms for the night and be on the lookout for underage drinking parties going on in their facilities. 

www.capitalnews9.com

Operation Hotel Check Out underway for prom weekends
Updated: 04/05/2008 07:33 AM
By: Britt Godshalk

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y. -- For some teens, nothing lights up prom night like an after party in a hotel suite.

“I realize that some say it's a rite of passage and I understand that sentiment,” said James Murphy, Saratoga County District Attorney.

However, Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy has seen it's darker side.

“We unfortunately have situations where women have unwanted sex. We have boys that are charged with rape the next day,” said Murphy.

He said underage drinking is the uninvited guest that can turn a night you can't forget into a night you wish you could.

“You have kids walking down the middle of Broadway because they're drunk and they're staying at a hotel and they're possibly going to be hit by a vehicle. It's just bedlam,” said Murphy.

So he's partnered with area hotels to keep a watchful eye. It's called Operation Hotel Check Out.

“Check out who is in the room that night if you see people bringing in large quantities of alcohol. Respond to noise complaints from neighboring rooms,” said Murphy.

The DA sent a letter to 65 hotels in Saratoga County asking them to do just that. But at least one hotel manager in the area is already sending a clear message to teens who want to rent one of his rooms to throw an underage drinking party.

“We don't want their business. The hotels look for these dates in advance, and everybody that's responsible as a hotelier will take the action accordingly to let their staff know what needs to be done and if there's a problem that we'll act accordingly,” said Bob Herrold, Residence Inn by Marriott Saratoga Springs GM.

You might see a cop, you might a police officer, you might see somebody in uniform and ultimately you might see the inside of a courtroom. And if we find that someone who is an older sibling more than 21 years old or a parent provides alcohol to a minor that's a crime,” said Murphy.

A crime that could mean spending a year in jail before they can check out.

To view the video link and story on this initiative from Capital News 9, Please click on the link below

Video from Capital News 9 regarding Operation Hotel Check Out