BY MATT SCHOOLEY

During a routine patrol at Bow High School, police arrested four teenagers after finding a vandalized women’s bathroom and observing the teens allegedly consuming alcoholic beverages.

On Friday, Aug. 17, Steven Chagnon, 17, and Liam Couture, 17, as well as a 15- and 16-year-old, were arrested.

In addition, a police investigation into a series of thefts on Cardinal and Chelsea drives focused on a group of teenagers, leading to the arrest of Colby Apple, 17, with more arrests anticipated.

Statistics from the Bow Police Department show a significant number of teenagers breaking the law, as 65 percent of all arrests in Bow last year were of 11- to 24-year-olds. To date this year, Bow police Lt. Dave Girard said 60 percent of the arrests were in the same age group.

Girard said the recent behavior is nothing new to his department.

“I guess I’m not surprised by it anymore, I’m just used to it. It’s just unfortunate, and what makes it worse is that a lot of these kids we’ve never dealt with before, and some of the names are new to us,” said Girard.

Girard also said some of the behavior of the teens has to do with a lack of parent involvement due to work hours.

“I think that with today’s society, it dictates that both parents have to go into the workplace to pay all of the bills.
Younger kids are being left unsupervised and from time to time they tend to congregate,” said Girard. “When you get unsupervised groups of young people it’s kind of a recipe for mischief.”

“There is nothing for teenagers to really do in Bow, which is what a lot of people will say is the issue. They congregate, and if they get kicked out of one place, they move on to a new place,” said Robert Louf, coordinator of Bow Neighborhood Watch. “How do you provide places of enjoyment for teenagers that will help alleviate this?”
Girard said the teenagers involved often make it easier for his officers to locate the suspicious behavior.

“Believe it or not, we’re not out there targeting or profiling teens. This is stuff they’ve generally brought upon themselves. When someone takes off running it’s kind of a red flag in itself,” he said.

According to Girard, 28 of the Police Department’s last 32 drug-related arrests have been for those between the ages of 14 and 22.

One group in town concerned about those numbers is the Bow Alochol and Drug Coalition (BADco). Heading the group is Sandy Eldredge, who said it is important for parents to help slow the behavior.

“The one that has the most influence is the parents, whether they know it or not. Whether they do their part in checking on them and those kinds of things, the parents who are looking after their kids, those are the kids who do OK,” said Eldredge.  

BADco also funds a Student Assistance Program counselor for one day a week in the middle school and one in the high school, though it is short  $5,000 needed to keep the school’s counselor, Heather Kingston, through the year.

The counselor helps give students the opportunity to have someone to speak with about drug and alochol problems. Eldredge said the money needed would pay to have the counselor in the school two days a week, though with Kingston’s busy schedule, she is needed for three.

BADco also conducted a study in 2005 called the Youth Risk Behavior Survey where it asked 460 freshmen, sophomores and juniors a variety of questions regarding drugs and alcohol. Although the results are below the state average, the study still provides some interesting numbers.

According to the survey, 63 percent of those surveyed used drugs or alcohol at some point, with 76 percent having tried alcohol for the first time between the ages of 13 and 16. Also, 21 percent of students consumed alcohol for the first time at age 12 or younger.

In terms of marijuana, 27 percent of Bow High School students used the drug, with 94 percent of those having tried it by the age of 16.

Bow Superintendent of Schools Dean Cascadden, who is also involved in BADco, said that although no drug and alcohol numbers are good to see, he isn’t ready to panic on Bow’s statistics.

“In that data, it shows that Bow has less of an issue with substance abuse than most of New Hampshire. But substance abuse is a fact of modern day life, and modern teen life. I don’t think there is an alarmist problem, but it is a persistent problem,” he said.