By JOHN KOZIOL

Staff Writer

LACONIA — In a variation on Amtrak’s slogan that "there’s something about a train that’s magic," the Laconia Police will be working to prevent something tragic from occurring on and around the trains that carry Bike Week visitors to and from The Weirs.

According to Lt. John MacLennan, the department’s Operations Division commander, underage drinking is a particular problem for law enforcement agencies during Bike Week and that this year the LPD will try a creative approach to address it.

Since the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad is an extremely popular way for people, including many teen-agers, both local and from out of the area, to get up to the Bike Week activities on Lakeside Avenue, MacLennan has proposed putting police officers on the trains to deter underage drinking and to keep an eye out for a host of other illegal behavior.

The Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad operates a shuttle service from both Lakeport Square and Meredith Station from Thursday through the second Sunday of Bike Week.

Alcohol and coolers containing alcohol are prohibited on the train, but, as MacLennan told the Police Commission, many riders, a good number of whom are below the legal drinking age of 21, nevertheless manage to either have booze with them or have been drinking prior to boarding.

Inebriated individuals can be a nuisance, if not a downright threat to themselves and others, which is why MacLennan said the Laconia Police Department and the Meredith Police Department are looking at ways of nipping some of the problems in the bud.

In Lakeport, Laconia Police would hopefully not only be on the train but would also be patrolling the parking lots around it as well as conducting extra surveillance of nearby convenience stores where minors might obtain alcohol, said MacLennan.

He pointed out that the cumulative effect of the enforcement effort is that Laconia Police will be "taking the minor with alcohol to a new level of seriousness."

Anyone under the influence of alcohol can potentially become either a victim or victimizer, said MacLennan, "and you’ll have some get a little bolder than they normally may be."

For instance, a young, minor male "may get nasty and start picking fights or you might find a female who gets a little more flirtatious in an unknown area with an unknown group of people who react poorly and we have to go in there and, for lack of a better word, ‘rescue’ somebody before they’re a victim of crime," MacLennan said.

He added that apart from the criminal aspect of underage drinking, there is also the public safety one as "a lot of the kids get so intoxicated that they require medical attention and now we’re putting another strain on the fire department and emergency responders."

MacLennan said he has contacted the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad to discuss putting police officers on their Bike Week shuttles and also spoken with Laconia High School administrators for their input on how to stem underage drinking on the trains.

"Our basic plan is to try to let people know that we’re not going to tolerate The Weirs" or any point along the rail line from "being a party haven for minors with alcohol," said MacLennan.