Alcohol citations increase this year

Pitt police brought up 26 people on various charges the weekend before classes started this… Pitt police brought up 26 people on various charges the weekend before classes started this year, more than three times the number of charges that police made two years earlier on that same weekend.

Of the 26 people charged from Aug. 26 to 28, 10 were cited for underage drinking.

That same week before classes started, Residence Life reported 12 alcohol law violations to the Pitt police, most of which took place in dorm rooms.

The number of arrests this year contrasts with the eight charges made by Pitt police for the same weekend in 2009. Three out of the eight charges were for underage drinking.

In 2009, the most recent numbers available, Pitt police received 193 reports of liquor law violations in total.

University spokesman John Fedele said that while there are usually extra police patrols when school starts, the difference in the number of charges between 2009 and this year is not a result of extra patrols, but rather of more people committing crimes.

“The police respond to complaints or calls for assistance, as well as their own observations, and the number of citations and arrests will vary from year to year based on the number of people committing infractions who are reported or observed committing those infractions,” Fedele said in an email.

Shawn Brooks, the director of Residence Life, said that the high number of alcohol reports made by Residence Life is not unusual during the first week of school.

“It’s relatively common to have alcohol-related violations of the Student Code of Conduct early in the semester,” Brooks said in an email.

The 12 students reported by Residence Life were referred to the resident director of their respective dorms.

“Our resident assistants and resident directors are required to enforce the code at all times,” Brooks said. “Students who have had a judicial complaint filed against them will go through the regular judicial process.”

Pitt’s Judicial Board hears cases when students violate part of the Student Code of Conduct by underage drinking. Students may face a $75 fine for the first offense and a $125 fine for a second offense, and the parents of the student will be notified.

Students who violate the alcohol policy on or off campus also have to complete the four week Personal Education, Assistance & Referral class.

Fines for underage alcohol citations can be up to $500 for repeat offenders, according to Pennsylvania law.