Alcohol arrests go up once again

Alcohol-related arrests are on the rise at colleges across the nation, according to recent data released from the U.S. Department of Education. \nThe report indicated that arrests linked to liquor law violations were up 1.1 percent in 2003. The IU Police Department's most recent data confirms a rise in arrests between 2003 and 2004. Arrests related to liquor law violations increased from 614 in 2003 to 897 in 2004, a 46 percent increase for IU.\n"I think it is strictly an enforcement picture," said Lt. Jerry Minger of the IUPD. "It's not indicative of more or less alcohol being used. It many times has to do with the amount of officers we can put out."\nMinger said the IUPD and other law enforcement agencies have recently received state funding to implement what they call "selective enforcement." Officers assigned to selective enforcement are responsible for one type of enforcement, such as seat belt or sobriety check-points. He said selective enforcement can increase the number of arrests and citations for alcohol-related violations and can also be preventative enforcement.\n"When you stop that person for the violation, often times officers will end up citing them or arresting them for other violations," Minger said. "Those alcohol violations lead to and are associated with so many other crimes. We're trying to put a lid on people getting hurt or things being stolen or vandalized."\nDee Owens, director of the IU Alcohol and Drug Information Center, agreed that the increased number of arrests is probably a reflection of increased enforcement. \n"Through increased enforcement, the University gives the message that we are not going to put up with this," Owens said.\nAs part of the Division of Student Affairs at IU, Owens said the ADIC has an active role in dealing with students who are in trouble for alcohol violations. They work with other University divisions and organizations to help educate and rehabilitate students.\n"Each student who comes in on an alcohol violation receives that service from us," Owens said. "We talk to a lot of students and parents with big problems and refer them for counseling or therapy. We each have our own pieces of the puzzle that we put in place."\nOwens said students also often come to the ADIC concerned about a friend or roommate with alcohol-related problems, but they don't want to interfere or confront that person. She emphasized that it does no one a favor to ignore alcohol-related problems.\n"Sometimes it takes getting confronted or even arrested," Owens said. "It's helping them go a different path. You are doing the best thing you can for your friend anytime you can stop them from getting in trouble."\nBoth Minger and Owens agreed that an increase in enforcement is a positive thing for the IU campus.\n"It speaks highly of the community we live in," Minger said. "If you see a university that has a very low alcohol violation, you would want to check out what the officers are doing"