In an attempt to cut down on alcohol-related problems, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and the West Chester Borough Police Department have established the Source Investigation Project (S.I.P.S.). The program has been working effectively, according to the borough police department.S.I.P.S. is a project that looks for anyone that furnishes alcohol to minors. Consequences for violating the law include jail time, fines and/or loss of license. The State College Police Department in State College, Pa. and the Liquor Control Board in Harrisburg, Pa. created the program in reaction to alcohol-related issues they were facing at Penn State University. The board funded the university’s program for 18 months.
“West Chester was considered the next hot spot,” according to Cpl. Pam Baumann of the West Chester Police Department. Baumann explained that the program would not affect funding or other responsibilities of the police department.
A WCU campus police officer said the campus police department is not involved with this program. According to Baumann, between Aug. 21 and Sept. 17 of this year, there were 207 alcohol related arrests of persons between the ages of 18-25 in the borough.
“Half of the arrests of 18-25 year olds are college students and half of the arrests are residents of the borough or friends that come to visit,” Baumann said. She noted that people only seem to hear about the problems with students and assume they are the only the police target.
“More students happen to be victims, so rumors start that the crime rate has increased,” Baumann added when asked if the crime rate has been effected since the S.I.P.S. program was implemented. At this time last year, there were 38 robberies. This year, only 24 robberies have been recorded thus far.
Students claim that S.I.P.S. has taken the attention of the West Chester Police Department away from “real crime.”
“[The] crime rate and S.I.P.S. have no relation,” Baumann said. “The staffing and the management of S.I.P.S. doesn’t divert resources from the police department. It is an independent and additional task.” She added, “S.I.P.S. was instituted because of the types and amounts of alcohol-fueled incidents which have occurred in the borough.”
The S.I.P.S. program calls for strict action to be taken against anyone under the age of 21 caught drinking. Many students believe that if they give the police the name or place of where they obtained their alcohol, they will be let go. Cpl. Baumann confirmed that this is not true. She noted that if the student does tell where they got their alcohol, it will be looked highly upon in court, but they will still be held accountable.
“It is nice that they are trying to cut down on crime rate, but it is inevitable that students are going to be drinking” said Nikki Sanders, a West Chester U. senior. Baumann said that the West Chester Police Department is not trying to stop students from drinking; the officers are simply trying to cut down on the consequences of drinking. A card that was handed out on campus to students read “We are not trying to convince you to stop drinking[.]we’re trying to stop you from drinking so much that bad things happen to you!”
Students can attend a safety forum to learn more about the boroughs crime rates and S.I.P.S.. It will be hosted by Student Government Association on Oct. 4, 2006 at 6 p.m. in Sykes Ballrooms A and B.