Back in the late 70's cops here were pretty lenient, even about booze and underage drinkers. They use to catch kids drinking while cruising the main road through town. They would make them poor it out, and threaten to call their parents if they saw them again that night. I don't remember anyone getting arrested or even getting a ticket.
That's the way it was in my neck of the woods. They'd make us pour it out. Twice my car broke down and they spent the time to patch it up enough to get us home. I had one actually run over to the 7-11 to buy me oil because he noticed I was a quart low. They'd give directions... Even lead you through traffic if you had an emergency.
The first day I drove after my parents regrettably gave me a car at the age of 15, I was pulled over for speeding through a school zone I didn't see. The policeman didn't write me a ticket, but chose instead to lecture me on watching for school zones and to BE CAREFUL.
On my 16th birthday, I was given a new car that had a 5 speed. I didn't know how to get it up a steep hill with the clutch as I'd never driven a standard shift before. A policeman noticed my predicament, came over and got the car up the incline for me and explained how to depress the gas pedal as I let off the clutch.
They were too good to me, honestly.