The Pennsylvania State Police's Liquor Control Enforcement Bureau investigated allegations of underage drinking at the Palladium for weeks before raiding the campus restaurant and bar last week, University Police said Tuesday. And an LCE spokesperson said the State Police intend to investigate other businesses on and around campus that have been raided by the LCE in recent years. LCE agents cited 33 students for underage drinking at the Palladium during a midnight raid March 19. The agents also arrested the restaurant's owner and three of its employees. Palladium co-owner Roger Harman -- whose business could face hefty fines and the temporary loss of license from the raid-- and his employees spent a day in jail after the arrest. Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush explained that the LCE "said they had gotten several calls that Tuesday night was a heavy-duty night for underage drinking." She noted that the agents "couldn't believe their eyes" after counting the number of underage drinkers during previous visits to the establishment. And Rush maintained that University officials did not invite the LCE to campus over potential violations by the Palladium. LCE spokesperson Jeff Lawrence said he could not confirm that undercover agents had observed underage drinking in the Palladium prior to last week's raid, but he said the LCE did know of possible liquor-law violations there. "We were aware that there were minors in the Palladium," he said. He added that the LCE plans to "check [other establishments on and around campus] out," including institutions such as Smokey Joe's on 40th Street and Murphy's Tavern at 44th and Spruce streets that the State Police have targeted in the past. And Lawrence said the LCE intends to follow up on the Palladium raid by making "periodic checks" on the restaurant, noting this is standard procedure after the LCE cites minors for underage drinking in a particular establishment. Harman explained that the Palladium now photocopies "questionable IDs" and requests patrons to complete a standardized age-declaration form. "I think a lot of people are scared about this," Harman said, adding that he noticed a "real decline in questionable IDs" after an April 1995 LCE raid on the Palladium in which 32 patrons were cited for underage drinking. But he noted that business has remained steady since last week's raid and Tuesday night's business was approximately the same as last week's -- even though the restaurant had closed early the previous week as a result of the raid. Lawrence and Rush said it is standard LCE procedure to arrest the owner and employees of an establishment that serves alcohol to minors. Rush explained that the Palladium's employees violated the law at a "higher level" than the patrons because they sell -- rather than just consume -- illegal alcohol. But Harman criticized what he described as the excessive flamboyance of the LCE agents, whom he said damaged some of the restaurant's property during the raid. "I think maybe they have the best of intentions, but some of them are real cowboys," he said, adding that the agents entered the restaurant in a "real hee-haw" manner.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.
