EDITOR’S NOTE: Kansas universities are back in session, and for college-town police departments, that can mean an increase in the number of minor-in-possession charges filed. How does Emporia stack up against other college towns in the number of such charges filed?
Emporia has its share of underage drinkers — but not much more than that.
According to the Emporia Police Department, 94 minors were ticketed for possessing alcohol between August 2005 and August 2006. That works out to about 3.55 tickets for every thousand people in Emporia.
It also makes Emporia typical for a university town. The Gazette compared minor-in-possession statistics from four cities with regents universities: Emporia, Hays, Lawrence and Pittsburg. Emporia came off just slightly higher than Lawrence (2.63 tickets per 1,000) and Pittsburg (2.76 tickets per 1,000)
The exception is Hays. Home to Fort Hays State University, that city issued 262 tickets to minors in possession of alcohol over the same time period — or 13.35 tickets per 1,000 people.
Philip Hartsfield, assistant chief of police for Hays, said that better attention was one reason for the high numbers.
“Especially since three years ago with the alcohol-related death of a college student, we are very concerned that we do what we can to deter the use of alcohol, which can lead to problems way beyond drinking underage,” Hartsfield said. “We by no means put a task force out there, but when young men and women are out there walking with open containers, it’s hard to ignore.”
Even for Hays, the number of tickets is high. The previous 12 months saw about half the activity, with 129 citations for MIP. This time of year tends to be the busy time, Hartsfield said. Between mid-September and early October, the city has high school homecoming, university homecoming and Oktoberfest.
Statistics for the other two regents cities, Wichita and Manhattan, were not available at press time.
Emporia police chief Mike Heffron said his officers pay as much attention to minors in possession as they do to any other offense. But in the eyes of the public, he said, it’s hard to win sometimes.
“We have a number of people in Emporia who are upset with us for enforcing it at all, because they feel it interferes with college students coming here,” Heffron said. “And then there’s another group that thinks we don’t do enough enforcement.”
It’s not exactly the most difficult arrest in the world. Many times, Heffron said, a bike cop can just wait outside a bar until he sees a minor stroll out, beer in hand. But these days, he said, the bars aren’t the biggest problem.
“Since there is good enforcement in bars, you get a lot of private parties instead, the kind with five to 10 kegs and a few hundred people,” Heffron said. “Then it’s pretty easy for officers to walk up and start ticketing people.”
“It causes some educating to help them remember they can’t just pee in public or walk down the street from one party to another with an open container,” Hartsfield agreed.
The fine can be pretty educational by itself. According to the Emporia Municipal Court, a minor in possession ticket usually carries a fine of $300 for the first offense plus $60 court costs. The fine can go up to $500.
Most MIP charges, Heffron said, come from complaints.
“If I’m a neighbor next door and there are several hundred people in the yard, the police are going to get called,” Heffron said.
Sometimes there are a few things that can be done in addition to the tickets and patrols. In Hays, Hartsfield said, the new Partnership for a Safer Community started a “safe ride” bus program. The bus runs three nights a week, giving those who have had too much to drink a chance to get home without driving.
“Our numbers may look a little high, but we’re very much a partner in the objective of helping people get home safe,” Hartsfield said. “Ultimately, we want everybody to be safe.”