Excise Police not serving students

This past weekend, the man hit everyone’s favorite sushi spot pretty hard.

Eighteen people were arrested for illegal consumption after Indiana State Excise Police officers went to Ami at about 10:30 p.m. to investigate a complaint that the restaurant was selling alcohol to minors.

And the ongoing battle with Excise Police continues.

Almost everyone on this campus has had some sort of encounter with Excise, whether it’s a direct run-in or stories from friends. Indiana University has always had its fair share of attention from Excise.

They are, quite possibly, the most hated people on campus.

I’m not saying this hatred is correct, but it’s often validated.

The trouble is that in a situation like Ami’s, of course underage people are going to take advantage of a restaurant that can sell them alcohol. It’s common knowledge that students like to drink, and here’s a way they could do it and not even maliciously use fake IDs.

Yes, it was very much illegal.

But does it really warrant 18 arrests?

During move-in weekend this year, Indiana State Excise Police arrested 93 people on 129 charges.

Fifty-six of the arrests were for underage people illegally possessing or drinking alcohol, and 20 of those were charged with possessing fake IDs.

We’ve come to associate all police with the Los Angeles Police Department’s famous motto “To Protect and to Serve.”

So while Indiana Excise Police might be protecting, are they really serving the people by simply slapping down all these arrests?

If we still have all of these arrests happening, clearly the drinking situation is not being resolved or stopped in any effective way. Instead, the Excise Police are consistently capitalizing on a culture they know is guaranteed money.

I say, if they need the money, go ahead and fine any violators to your Excise heart’s content. But don’t arrest them.

Arresting students and young people for alcohol-related crimes isn’t helping the situation at all. Young people are still drinking and will continue to drink — that’s college.

Instead of truly serving the people, the frequency with which Excise Police arrest people is creating unhealthy drinking habits and unsafe party techniques.

It’s because of Excise horror stories that legislation such as the Indiana Lifeline Law is often forgotten about, and tragedy can ensue.

The law clearly states its intentions, but nobody wants to invite authorities to a party when 18 people can be arrested for drinking at a local sushi restaurant.

There’s a common debate that focuses on whether or not universities should have their own laws, if substance-related crimes should have as much impact as they do in the real world.

Though this is a slippery slope, I do think they should be treated differently.

We’re all here to learn and better ourselves. Based on the numbers above, we’re certainly not learning anything through all these arrests.

There has to be a better way.

­— sjostrow@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Sam Ostrowski on Twitter @ostrowski_s_j.