University of Maryland police are increasing alcohol enforcement in College Park, but it may not be discouraging underage students from finding places to drink.
Before the start of the fall semester, Gov. Martin O’Malley’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention awarded UMD Police a $30,000 grant to deal with alcohol related issues in College Park.
University police, in agreement with county police, have the authority to take enforcement action in a broad area of College Park. Thanks to the grant, university police now have additional staff to be able to respond to more situations on and off campus.
UMD police captain Marc Limansky says they can now address issues involving alcohol without taking officers away from other responsibilities. “The intent was to have officers that can go out and handle these problems,” Limansky said. “It was not a supplement, but a relief.”
According to Limansky, the only change in police procedure is police can now arrest anyone serving alcohol to people under the age of 21, rather than only giving a citation. Students caught serving alcohol are fined $2,500 for the first person underage and $5,000 for every subsequent person not of age at the party.
“We have to ask ‘What’s the best way to send a message to students?’” Limansky said. University police and the university’s legal offices are in contact with attorneys and the students who face charges to find the most appropriate course of action.
For some students, the increased enforcement is something to watch out for, but it is not a deterrent. “I feel like there’s a larger police presence by off campus student housing that is impacting students, but it hasn’t changed how much I go to parties or where I go,” said junior communication major Marshall Pollack.
District 1 councilman Patrick Wojahn feels that underage drinking has been a problem in the College Park community and that increasing enforcement is an important public safety measure. However, regarding police entering the bars, he has concerns.
“I think its important that people drink people responsibly,” Wojahn said, “I think when police go into the bars it moves people into the neighborhoods and it’s more important that people are drinking in a safe environment, which the neighborhoods are not.”