Party detail: More than 330 busted in first two weeks

09/20/2005

Mary Jane Smetanka,
Star Tribune
September 20, 2005

The “party detail” is having a busy year.

More than 330 people have been cited for underage drinking or DWI violations in neighborhoods around the University of Minnesota campus, during the first two weekends of the school year.

Another 57 people were cited for offenses that included disorderly conduct, keg violations, consumption by a minor, open bottle and providing false information to police, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

For three consecutive years, law enforcement officials have made special efforts to crack down on drinking and public rowdiness around the U of M campus early in the fall, said Steve Johnson, deputy chief of the University Police. Minneapolis police, the State Patrol and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office helped with the “party detail.”

“We put together a group of officers who get out and look for bigger party problems—parties with lots of people, illegally selling beer ... loud parties that create complaints,” Johnson said.

Giving more tickets

The number of people ticketed this year is up over the past two years, when about 250 people were cited during the first two weekends of the school year. Johnson said it isn’t clear whether problems with drinking are getting worse or police are ticketing more people.

With more students living on or near the university campus, school officials have tried to discourage illegal drinking and rowdiness. After more than 1,500 to 2,000 people, many of them drinking, rioted following the 2003 hockey championship, the university created a fulltime community liaison position to build connections between the university, students and surrounding neighborhoods. In at least two cases, students have become ex-officio members of neighborhood groups to try to improve communication between the campus and nearby residential areas.

Jerry Rinehart, vice provost for student affairs on the Twin Cities campus, said increased enforcement early in the school year is intended to send a message. Last year, he said, that seemed to have an effect as violations dropped on subsequent weekends.

“We came on strong and hard to let students know that we take these offenses very seriously,” he said. “We care for our neighborhoods, and irresponsible and illegal behavior will not be overlooked.”

The school is looking for ways to teach students what it means to be part of a neighborhood. For a few students who have only lived at home or in a residence hall, moving out on their own seems to lead to “some false sense that their behavior is invisible and they can do whatever they want,” Rinehart said.

Emily Serafy Cox, undergraduate student body president, said Monday that she hadn’t heard about the police crackdown on drinking. She lives in the Seward neighborhood near campus and has mixed feelings about police targeting student parties.

“Part of the reason I like Seward is that there are parties and lots of students and that sort of thing, but they are parties where students have fun and don’t disrupt everyone else,” she said.

While underage drinking is clearly illegal and can be dangerous, Serafy Cox said, she questioned whether cracking down on partying should be such a point of emphasis. She pointed to a news story in the student newspaper that reported other crimes, such as burglary and theft, were up in areas around campus since school started.

“I’m not saying [drinking] is not important, but it seems like there are more important issues,” she said. “There needs to be really vigorous education, because going out and arresting students for underage drinking is not going to stop them from doing it.”

Students complain

Most students object to public urination or vomiting in the street as much as permanent residents do, she said. She said the idea of building connections between permanent neighborhood residents and the more fleeting student population is probably the biggest thing that would help curb partying.

Johnson said most of those nabbed for underage drinking or open bottles over the past two weekends were ticketed and will be referred to the restorative justice program, which has offenders meet face-to-face with neighborhood representatives affected by partying. Some kind of penalty or restitution is agreed on, and if offenders meet those requirements, their record remains clear. But those who fail to uphold their end of the agreement face the renewal of criminal prosecution, he said. Possible misdemeanor penalties include up to 90 days in jail, fines up to $1,000 and loss of their driver’s license for up to 180 days.

Intensified enforcement will be used around campus on many weekends this year, including this homecoming weekend, Johnson said.

The university isn’t alone in its alcohol issues. Over Labor Day weekend, St. Cloud police arrested 124 students in neighborhoods around St. Cloud State University for underage drinking, open containers, public urination and disorderly conduct, among other offenses.