Good choices on Halloween

As we approach Halloween, we expect nights of fun as well as underage drinking, sirens and arrests.

This week, I hope both students and law enforcement officers will conduct themselves responsibly.

Students: if you make the decision to drink, be responsible about it.

If you need to get home, take a cab, a bus or call a sober friend. It’s not a good time to walk home alone.

If you or a friend has a medical emergency, and you need to call an ambulance, remember the Lifeline Law and Hoosier PACT provide a degree of immunity from legal and University disciplinary action in many situations.

Risking someone’s life is far worse than any legal or disciplinary consequences you may face.

To police officers, especially excise: I hope you keep in mind there are many ways to enforce Indiana’s drinking laws, and I hope you will consider the consequences of the avenues of enforcement you choose.

Some lead to respect and appreciation, while others lead to resentment and distrust.
You are indispensable to public safety. You patrol for drunk drivers, stop rowdy partiers from getting out of hand and help save lives during medical emergencies.

But, let’s be frank, you have a bit of a reputation in this town for pulling over designated drivers and passengers making responsible decisions for specious reasons.

A busted license plate light, driving barely more than the speed limit, flinging a cigarette out the window, the appearance of too many people in the backseat, claiming to smell alcohol in a car while standing outside the vehicle and speaking to a driver who hasn’t had a drop all night — your ability to find probable cause is pretty unbelievable in the truest sense of the word.

Walking home alone from a party can be dangerous. Let’s make the option to be a designated driver more secure and focus on those lawbreakers who pose a legitimate danger to other people.

I would like to remind you that, per a new state law, you cannot arrest people for public intoxication if they do not pose a danger to themselves or others.

Responsible students and respectful law enforcement are essential to a safe Halloween in Bloomington this week and a safe community in the future.

­— danoconn@indiana.edu