Attempting to get home late at night can be dangerous. Especially when walking alone. However, for the past two years, a group of dedicated students has devoted its nights to escorting people home.

The service, though often underused, has been successful. It is there for the benefit of the Purdue community and that's what makes it great.

However, be warned that if you've had a little too much to drink and you call the Purdue Student Patrol service, its members will escort you to the nearest uniformed police officer. From there you'll be cited for public intoxication.

The student patrol service not only refuses to escort those who have been drinking — the escorts will turn you in for being drunk.

Now, it's understood that the purpose of the escort service is to safely see people home. And no, the service shouldn't become one that is similar to that of the "drunk bus." It's also clear that escorting people home that may have been drinking possibly puts the escorts at a slight risk.

But, what about the risks for those who have been drinking and require an escort to get home when it's dark outside?

Intoxicated individuals are easy targets for any kind of attacks as their reaction time is slowed and judgment is impaired. These people, like those who are walking alone late at night, need assistance. Simply walking them home could make a difference as well as keep them out of trouble.

The patrol service shouldn't be selective as far as whom they do and do not escort home. Are the students that participate as patrol escorts the only people making the determination of who is intoxicated and who isn't? Are these escorts going to be equipped with Breathalyzer tests? Once the student patrol determines that someone is intoxicated and call the police, are they allowed to detain the individuals? That sounds like trouble waiting to happen.

Certainly a group of escorts could handle walking a student home that has had a couple of cocktails.

Yes, there are risks associated with dealing with intoxicated individuals but turning them away puts them at risk.

Editorial Board: Keith Thomas, Tom McHenry, Melissa Davis and Laura Pelner.