IU tops arrest rankings

Throughout campus on any given day you can find a students wearing "Partying at the number one party school: PRICELESS" shirts. \nBut priceless it isn't.\nCampus police made 804 alcohol arrests and 313 drug arrests in 2002 ranking IU first in drug arrests and second in alcohol arrests, according to the U.S. Education Department but reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education.\nWhile the numbers and rankings are alarming to some, IU Dean of Students Richard McKaig and IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said the rankings are practical.\n"We happen to be one of the largest universities in terms of on-campus housing," McKaig said. "Other places like University of Minnesota and Ohio State have large universities, but may not have as many students living on campus."\nThe study compares campus police arrest numbers with each other, and McKaig said that makes it hard to compare schools.\n"Arrests might occur for those other schools, but within the city of Columbus or Minneapolis Police Departments," he said. "We have more students being subjected to campus police, so of course the arrest numbers are going to be higher. Because IU is one of the five largest residential campuses, it is probably always going to be within the top 10 unless we are totally ignoring these issues."\nStudents always have complained of stricter practices at IU in comparison to other schools.\n"I've been to Ball State or other schools where we can sit and drink outside and not be bothered," said freshman Ashley Stone. "I'd never even attempt that here because I know I'd get arrested."\nMinger said it is possible that higher numbers could reflect the strict enforcement by IUPD officers.\n"We aggressively enforce these types of violations," he said. "We also have the ability to write citations for illegal consumption and possession. In other counties the prosecutors and judicial systems may not even allow their officers to do that. You might either have to turn a blind eye or incarcerate completely, no matter what."\nThe process of writing citations is so quick and simple that the numbers at a party can add up fast, Minger said.\n"In Monroe County we can give a ticket, and you're done in a few minutes," Minger said. "We use citations frequently as an option because an officer gets a call to a party, and on entrance we can write 15 to 20 citations in less than five minutes, and so the numbers add up. In other places they may not want to take the time to have to fully incarcerate that many students, so they might turn the other way, causing lower arrest numbers."\nMcKaig said during 2002 there were many events that may have led to the increase in arrests.\n"In 2002 we had the run to the NCAA, so we know there were three weekends in a row where there were large gatherings of students in streets and at parties resulting in somewhat of 20 arrests a night," he said. "In 2003 numbers dropped by 200, so that shows a dramatic difference only a year later."\nMinger said health issues and smoking bans at the time in Bloomington might also have contributed to the high numbers.\n"There was a move towards no smoking in Bloomington, and people became more health conscience," Minger said. "There was no smoking in bars and restaurants, and the new chancellor instituted stricter guidelines on campus. You had more people calling in incidents not just because people were just smoking marijuana, but because they were more health conscience and didn't want anything being smoked in residence halls."\nMcKaig said he has doubt about enforcement at campuses that have extremely low numbers.\n"Every national study on drinking suggests there's relatively large usage by underage students," McKaig said. "Numbers that are particularly low suggest there isn't any enforcement going on."\nMinger said he agrees that while the numbers are high and people may read into them, they shouldn't necessarily send only negative messages.\n"I think they'll have to understand, of course, that we're going to have to be in the top five in these incidents because of our large residential numbers, but what I think it should tell them is we don't tolerate that kind of behavior," Minger said. "I think that the high numbers should show that we enforce violations of the law very strictly and try everything we can to curb unwanted and illegal behavior."\n-- Contact staff writer Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.