Excise police issue 191 citations during Welcome Week

The flood of IU students returning to Bloomington last week resulted in nearly 200 excise citations — the largest number of Welcome Week tickets since 2007.

Police issued 191 tickets in all, Officer Travis Thickstun of the Indiana State Excise Police said. In 2007, the number was exactly 200.

The amount of tickets increased from last year’s 138 citations because of a combination of factors, Thickstun said.

“There were a high number of people possessing and consuming alcohol, but we also had an increased presence,” he said. “We really chose to focus our attention on college campuses this weekend in places like Bloomington, Muncie and Terre Haute.”

At Ball State University in Muncie last week, excise police issued 93 tickets.

In Bloomington, 89 of the citations during this year’s Welcome Week were for illegal possession or consumption of alcohol.

Thirty-three people were cited for possession of a false ID and 23 were cited for using one. Nineteen adults were ticketed for providing alcohol to minors.Other charges from last week include six traffic violations, four possessions of marijuana and one possession of cocaine.

A large number of the citations were issued Friday after excise and Bloomington police investigated a noise complaint on North Washington Street,Thickstun said.Dozens of tickets for illegal consumption were issued at a party there.The five residents of the apartment were cited for aiding a minor to possess an alcoholic beverage.

One underage woman at the party was taken to IU Health Bloomington Hospital by ambulance due to her level of intoxication, Thickstun said.

Welcome Week has long rivaled another popular week-long IU drinking occasion: the celebration of the Little 500 bicycle race.

Though Little 500 is a nationally known event often referred to as the “World’s Greatest College Weekend,” the numbers of excise citations between the two have remained close in recent years.

In 2010, only 20 fewer excise tickets were issued during Welcome Week than during Little 500.The numbers from the 2011 race actually trail those of this year’s Welcome Week.

Police issued 167 citations this year during Little 500, compared to the 191 issued this week.

Both events see a larger and more obvious presence from Bloomington, IU and State police than other weeks in the year. 

State Police Superintendent Matt Strittmatter said the increased presence of excise police is an essential part of keeping students safe as they return to Bloomington.

“The State Excise Police will continue its efforts to ensure the safety of everyone in college communities by enforcing the underage drinking laws and other laws that regulate the access of alcohol to minors,” Strittmatter said.