LCE cites 33 in raid at Palladium

University Police did not request the bust, but officials said to expect LCE presence on spring party weekends. Agents from the Pennsylvania State Police's Liquor Control Enforcement Bureau raided the Palladium at 12:40 Wednesday morning, arresting several employees and citing 33 students for underage drinking. While LCE officials said they had arrested the restaurant's owner and manager, as well as a bartender and barmaid for a total of four arrests, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department's 18th precinct -- which processed the arrests -- said six people were arrested. The police spokesperson added that all of the suspects had been released after a night spent in detention. The male suspects were processed and released from the precinct's headquarters at 55th and Pine streets, and the female suspects were processed and released from the Police Administration Building at 7th and Race streets. A spokesperson for the department's Southwest Detectives Bureau explained that the suspects' unusually long detainment had resulted from administrative delays. "Normally it takes 24 hours, but we've been backed up with other stuff," he said. University Police were not involved in yesterday's bust and had not received advance word that the LCE was preparing to raid the establishment, according to Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush. But she added that the force is prepared to collaborate with the LCE during upcoming campus events. "We would expect that they're going to come in for the spring events [including the] Penn Relays and Spring Fling," Rush said. And she noted that the University Police would be "doing students a favor [by working with the LCE because the force is] a whole lot more user-friendly" than the 18th precinct. While some of the students who received citations yesterday said they understood the reasons for the raid, others said the LCE's interference on campus was unwarranted. "I realize that drinking can lead to other sorts of problems," College sophomore Tracy Cohlan said, but she added that before the raid, the minors were "peacefully sitting and drinking like any other college students." And many of the cited students said law enforcement authorities should concentrate their efforts on larger security problems like muggings and assaults rather than focusing on underage drinking -- especially in light of last fall's crime wave. "There are enough problems on campus security-wise," College sophomore Danielle Blaine said. Other students who were present at the Palladium complained that the agents forced the students to leave the premises alone after receiving their individual reprimands, possibly jeopardizing the students' safety. "One by one? they would yell at you and make you leave," Cohlan said, noting that walking home from a bar -- alone and after midnight -- was not an ideal situation for possibly inebriated students. And some students suggested that the Palladium and other on-campus establishments might stand to lose business if students move their social lives downtown in response to the raids. "I'm never going back to the Palladium," said a student who received a citation but requested anonymity. "It's just not worth it." Another of the cited students agreed, noting that the LCE "did not accomplish anything [but] will merely push people away to unsafe areas." But Rush said underage drinking at off-campus locations posed as much threat of citations as it does on campus. "It's the issue of drinking in any establishment," she said, noting that the LCE has the right to raid any bar or restaurant with a liquor license. But students unanimously agreed that the LCE's interference on the Penn campus would not hamper their drinking habits. "Honestly, students are gonna drink no matter what," said an anonymous student who received a citation. Daily Pennsylvanian City News Editor Yochi Dreazen contributed to this article.