by Logan Gruber
operations@thenewsleaders.com
At the Feb. 1 city council meeting, a “diversion” was approved for low-level alcohol offenses for underage consumption.
“The St. Cloud city attorney’s office contacted us about diverting some of these first-time alcohol offenders out of the justice system and into alcohol education or treatment programs,” said Police Chief Joel Klein.
Klein added the program would only affect those between the ages of 18-20 who are first-time offenders, and who violate the underage drinking law. If they violate other laws at the same time (such as fleeing police, disorderly conduct or drug use) or have previous convictions, they would not qualify for the diversion path.
The purpose of the diversion is to reduce the amount of time and effort spent in trying comparatively minor alcohol cases, thus saving limited resources for more severe criminal cases. After an eligibility screening, the accused is offered the chance to accept alcohol education or treatment. If the person does, then cases are removed from an active criminal status and made “inactive.” Upon successful completion of the program, the case is dismissed, thereby allowing the accused to clear his or her police and court records. If the accused does not successfully complete the program, the case is made active and scheduled for trial.
By the diversion of appropriate cases into treatment, the program improves the operational effectiveness of the court process by providing early diagnosis of alcohol-related problems, providing education or treatment for those problems and offering an alternative to incarceration for the accused who poses no danger to the community.
“The St. Cloud city attorney’s office handles all of the paperwork and tracking of the case until the diversion track has been followed or the issue has been finalized in court,” Klein said.
He also said the St. Cloud city attorney has worked with St. Cloud State University on the program and it has been successful. Both the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University have been given a presentation on the program and are in favor of enacting it.
Participation in the diversion will cost the offender money, and for each person who is sent through diversion from the St. Joseph Police Department, the city of St. Joseph will receive $25 back for the cost of dealing with the case.
The program was passed by the city council.
