University students living in apartments around campus arenoticing an increase in law enforcement in the complexes thissemester, especially on weekends.
The real concern is if collegiate apartments are being targetedfor underage drinking. In Baton Rouge, 591 citations were filed inCity Court for unlawful purchase or possession of an alcoholicbeverage by a minor from August 2003 to August 2004.
Ted Cuccia, an accounting junior who lives in University Commonson Burbank Drive, received an underage drinking citation theweekend before school started.
Cuccia said he walked out of his apartment into the parking lotto meet some friends, and a police officer immediately pulled up tohim in a police car. Cuccia said the officer questioned him aboutthe contents in the mug he was holding.
Cuccia said he was drinking out of a closed mug and admitted tothe officer he was drinking a mixed drink. He said the officer thenwrote him a ticket for possession of an alcohol beverage by aminor.
After giving him a ticket, Cuccia said the officer proceeded towrite more tickets to other underage drinkers in the apartmentparking lot.
Cuccia said he believes within a 15 to 20 minute interval, theofficer probably wrote about 10 tickets.
Also in the University Commons, Eric Babineaux, an Englishsophomore and University Commons resident, received an underagedrinking citation the Friday before the LSU football game againstArkansas State. He said he was stopped by a police officer waitingin an unmarked car.
Babineaux said the officer was giving other people underagedrinking citations. He said he knows officers come to collegiateapartment complexes on nights they know people are going to drink.He said he has never seen officers in his apartment complex on aweekday afternoon.
The University Commons manager would not comment on underagedrinking on the University Commons property or the complex’sinvolvement with police.
Miles Dixon, a chemical engineering freshman, said he wasvisiting friends at University Crescent Apartments on Burbank Drivewhen he received an underage drinking citation the weekend beforeschool started.
Dixon said he was walking down the stairs from his friend’sapartment on the second floor when two undercover police officersasked for his age. He said it was hard to tell who the officerswere because they were hiding in the shadows.
Before he could tell the officers his age, Dixon said one of theofficers already was writing out the citation.
Dixon said the officers also were giving citations to a16-year-old female and an 18-year-old male. He said he saw otherofficers writing citations for a keg in the back of a truck.
While he was waiting for his citation to be written, Dixon saidthe officers were calling for reinforcements.
Dixon said he thinks the officers were at the apartment complexbecause it was the first weekend most students were back in BatonRouge. He said during the summer, the apartment complexes aremainly quiet. He said he feels the officers’ presence at theapartments that weekend was not a coincidence.
University Crescent Assistant Manager Jennifer Farlow saidUniversity Crescent has not been working with the police, althoughshe said police officers do have the right to be on theproperty.
Farlow agreed with Dixon. She said she believes they arecombating underage drinking more because school has juststarted.
David Tetlow, an agent for the Office of Alcoholic BeverageControl, said the city sheriff may respond to disturbance calls andcontact the Juvenile Underage Drinking Enforcement for assistanceif there is underage drinking involved.
Tetlow said JUDE is made up of ABC officers, city policeofficers and the sheriff’s department, and said they “do notnecessarily target any specific place.”
Tetlow said JUDE goes to many places to combat underagedrinking, such as stores, apartments and restaurants.
Tetlow said they do not focus on collegiate apartments. He saidthey work a large area and never target a specific location.
JUDE also tries to prevent underage drinking from occurring.Tetlow said they meet with restaurant and bar owners before eventsthey know may be hard to control. An example of these events areFred’s, Serrano’s and Walk-On’s parties for the first home footballgame this semester.