Arrests decline for Grand
Prix 2001
By Heather Mangold
City
Editor
Indiana State police made fewer arrests during
Grand Prix 2001 than during the previous year's festive weekend.
Indiana State police made 264 arrests in 2000 during
Grand Prix, while state police made only 196 this year. Of those 196
arrests, only 18 were alcohol or drug related. The exact number of arrests
made by the Lafayette, West Lafayette and Purdue police during Grand
Prix should be released today, said Capt. Mike Francis of the West Lafayette
Police Department.
Francis said that his department was busy this
weekend.
"There was a lot of people out as far as pedestrians
and vehicles," said Francis.
Although the number of people on the streets increased,
so did the amount of officers. Officers from West Lafayette, Lafayette,
Purdue, Indiana Excise and Indiana State police patrolled the campus
this weekend.
"Increased police presence really helped," said
Francis. "You could see a lot of police officers that were out and about,
which is what we were really aiming for."
Prior to the festivities of Grand Prix, the goal
of the police department was to continue to reduce the level of violence
and damage to property that is usually associated with such a festive
weekend during which there is a great deal of alcoholic consumption,
according to a news release. The legal age to consume alcohol in Indiana
is 21.
Capt. Ron Fosnaugh of the Purdue police said Grand
Prix celebrations weren't bad.
"I was out there on the street Thursday, Friday
and Saturday nights and I thought things went very well," said Fosnaugh.
"Arrests were definitely down this year."
Indiana Excise Police came to Purdue to enforce
alcohol-related laws. They monitored bars, local liquor stores and student
parties to make sure that drunken citizens were not served excess amounts
of alcohol and that all citizens who drank were of age.
"They're just a tremendous resource for us," said
Francis.
Francis agreed with Fosnaugh in that overall, Grand
Prix celebrations went well. However, this was not the opinion had by
all.
Jennifer Marie Friedt, a senior in the School of
Liberal Arts, said she was surprised when she walked up to her house
on Evergreen Street to find several police officers near her door.
Friedt said she walked to a gas station near her
house and upon her return, police officers gave her a ticket for furnishing
alcohol to minors.
"I can understand that they are wanting to crack
down on minors drinking," said Friedt. "But I don't think it was fair
considering I wasn't here."
Friedt said that three minors were arrested for
minor consumption at her house, but other minors were there.
"What I didn't understand was that they busted
some of the minors, but not others," she said.
Fosnaugh said there could be two reasons that not
all minors would be arrested in this situation. The first is that minors
often leave parties when police come to the scene. The second was that
police cannot assume that all minors have been drinking, even if alcohol
is provided at a party. Fosnaugh said police check for odor and behavior
associated with intoxication when determining who is to be arrested.
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