For the first weeks of school, university police will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to students caught violating alcohol law on and around campus.
Instead of giving out warnings, which UCPD has done in previous years, officers have been sanctioned to immediately stop and interact with anybody observed breaking the law, said Nancy Greenstein, UCPD spokeswoman.
“Anyone caught in violation will be fined with a ticket,” Greenstein said. “If the person is under 21 years of age, they will lose their license.”
UCPD participates in a grant that provides a small amount of funding but also asks universities to educate and enforce alcohol law, Greenstein said.
As part of the grant, police will have additional officers out for patrol on traditional party nights, especially during the weekend.
“The highest statistical numbers regarding (emergency medical services) calls for alcohol poisoning are from September and October,” Greenstein said.
“The most serious health risks occur when students are first returning to school. Hopefully increased patrol lets them know we’re serious.”
Greenstein said students have been forewarned about the consequences of alcohol misuse, as students in summer programs developed educational pieces and helped distribute handouts on campus with alcohol law information.
Students also attended awareness events at orientation and will be attending events held in the dorm areas during welcome week, she said.
Wendi Li, a first-year undeclared student, said she feels students do tend to let loose the first few weeks of college because of their newfound freedom, and preventive measures are needed. However, she said she does not feel that the tougher approach will be effective.
“If (the police) ticket students after (they catch them), it’s not enough to scare the rest of the student body into skipping out on partying because they are not the ones with the ticket,” she said.
Kevin Le, a third-year physiological science student, said that though he has not been affected by the crazy party atmosphere of the first few weeks of school, increased patrol is a good idea especially late at night.
Both Li and Le felt like they have already gotten plenty of warning about alcohol law through AlcoholEdu, which entering students are required to complete, and through educational programs during orientation.
However, Le said he feels the policy at UCLA reflects that it is OK to have alcohol as long as police don’t see it, especially in the dorm area.
“Even if people get caught, the punishment is a few simple hours of community service, and some people still end up drinking in a more secretive way,” Le said.
“If UCLA is serious about its alcohol policy, then I hope it backs up its law in a way that it’s not something UCLA tolerates.”