LCE cites 94 students over Fling weekend

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control and Enforcement Bureau cited 94 University students for underage drinking and fake ID violations Thursday and Friday nights, according to University Police. Fifty-one citations -- 36 for underage drinking and 15 for possession of a fake ID -- were given out to students at the Penn Rocks for the Homeless Concert Thursday night, while 43 more were issued Friday night. The citations offer students two choices. One option is to pay a $105 fine and take a three-hour seminar on the social, economic and legal implications of underage drinking. Students would also lose driving privileges for a year, but the citation would be expunged from their records. The second choice is to plead the citation before a judge at the Criminal Justice Center at 13th and Filbert streets. But if the judge finds students guilty, they face a fine of $196, the same loss of driving privileges and a permanent criminal violation on their records. University Police Capt. John Richardson said the large number of citations took him by surprise. "I don't remember them ever giving this many citations on campus," he said. "In the past, they've been real tough on local bars and stores, but not on campus events." Richardson explained that while the LCE has the power to cite students for multiple offenses simultaneously -- such as underage drinking and possession of a fake ID -- they used that power sparingly. "They didn't give multiple citations for alcohol-related violations," he said. "They only gave them if the students became abusive or disorderly after receiving the alcohol citation. "They weren't out to crucify anybody," he added. Richardson said this was one of the calmest Spring Flings in recent memory -- but he doesn't attribute the relative peace to the LCE crackdown. "There were no major problems," he said. "But I think that's because Fling was well thought out and organized, not because of the LCE." The LCE is a branch of the Pennsylvania State Police in charge of enforcing underage drinking, open-container and fake ID regulations. Richardson added that students may have been surprised by the "scope" of the crackdown. "They probably didn't think that the LCE would be so far-reaching as to go after individual cans of beer as well as kegs and six-packs," he said. "They busted people with fake IDs that I'm sure had been used for years without problems. "People didn't see it coming," he said.