SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - The numbers are alarming: 39 percent of all South Dakota teens have had a drink of alcohol in the last month.
Darcy Jensen with Prairie View Prevention Services says teens drink at house parties more than at any other place.
Jensen says authorities realize that house parties can happen. But she says it's important for parents and neighbors to be aware of parties happening in the neighborhood.
Jensen says if you know a house party is going to happen, take a stand and call police. She says law enforcement would prefer preventing a party rather than breaking one up.
Jensen says it’s against the law to host an underage drinking party.
Since 2006, 62 South Dakota teens have died in alcohol related car crashes. As part of the "Parents Matter-House Party" campaign, parents in over 150 South Dakota school districts received information on how to stop teen parties.