Police chief debunks arrest myths

For many college students whose weekend nights are spent drinking at parties, there is a constant threat of getting caught.

IU Police Chief Keith Cash said there are many myths about what happens when a party is busted and advised how to avoid getting into trouble in the first place.

1. If you don’t want to get arrested, it’s best you don’t break the law in the first place.

“Every time I tell students this, they look at me like I’m crazy,” Cash said.

But he does have a point, laws are written with the intent of being followed, and if you are breaking the law you can’t exactly blame the officer charging you for the fact you downed that drink.

2. If you do feel it is your right as a student to drink, don’t draw attention to yourself in a negative way.

“While that sounds easy, almost every weekend we make an arrest for drunkenness,” Cash said.

“It is often because people end up drawing attention to themselves, either by behavior, loud noise or even because of the buddies they are with who are drawing attention to themselves.”

3. Once you are caught, don’t aggravate the situation. Be cooperative and polite, and the officer will be in return.

“If you did break the law, and you did draw attention to yourself, and now you find yourself in a situation where the police are there talking to you then just be cooperative,” Cash said. 

“You might still get arrested, but that is going to help you a lot more.”

Cash said what most students do not realize is that “drinking tickets,” as students call them, are in fact not drinking tickets at all. They are actually arrests.

“Instead of cuffing all these folks and taking them to jail like we would a normal arrest, it is easier to write a ticket, which is the same as an arrest with your promise to appear in court,” he said.

“It’s the same as an arrest, but most of those misdemeanors are treated as a pre-trial diversion.”

Cash said that if a student is ever in a situation where he or she is looking at a charge, it is in his or her best interest to cooperate, take the arrest and complete pre-trial diversion.

“It is worked through the prosecutor’s office and is sanctioned by the courts. You have to pay a fee and go to alcohol education,” Cash said.

“However, if the student completes these and does not get into trouble in a year, then it will be as though they were never arrested.”

Cash said the police don’t go out of their way to arrest students and single them out. 

“You can see how many people are out at the bars on a given Friday or Saturday night,” Cash said.  “Only a fraction of those people are arrested for public intoxication. It is clear that the ones drawing attention to themselves are the ones getting arrested.”

— Justin Shockey