With prom season right around the corner, the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office is handing out free drug and alcohol testing kits to help parents keep tabs on their teens.

Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. says the program was first introduced in 2011. It aims to help parents "engage in critical conversations about drug use," he says.

The program costs about $5,000, but Toulon says none of that comes from taxpayer money. All of its funding comes from asset forfeiture — money police have seized from alleged drug dealers.

Parents can pick up the free kits at the Sheriff's Office headquarters or from any Suffolk County legislator's office.

Lawmakers say incidents involving teen substance abuse happen every year, especially around prom season.

"Our research tells us one thing very, very clear," says Richard Mallow, of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. "It is up to the parents to talk with their children, to observe their children."