Column:
Segway patrol over-the-top
Published Aug. 25, 2009
Today is Aug. 25, 2009. Yes, it is my column's first day of school, but more importantly, it is also my 21st birthday. And it could not have come at a better time.
For anyone who has been out to the bars at night in Columbia this summer or last semester, you are familiar with the typical blue uniform arrival and subsequent panic. The Columbia Police Department has found it necessary to hop on bikes and Segways — yes, Segways — and roll into bars for the sole intention of arresting underage drinkers. Not only is it a major buzzkill for those with fake IDs, it has resulted in less people going out and slower business for the various bars around town. I think I can speak for all the socially-frustrated students under 21 when I ask — why is our law enforcement spending so much time cracking down on underage drinking in a college town?
Yes, I know, underage drinking is illegal. And possessing false identification is an even greater offense. But I believe there are worse problems in this city than a few 19- and 20-year-olds with their older siblings' IDs drinking at a bar. There is real crime, of both the violent and property kind, to be fought in our community. Plus, shouldn't they be more worried about those who are drinking actually getting behind the wheel and driving?
As a college girl, I appreciate that they are patrolling downtown late on the weekends, as it is a vulnerable time for violent crime to occur. But the sight of police officers using completely illogical modes of transportation such as horses and motorized scooters to travel the few blocks from the police station on Walnut Street leads me to believe these cops aren't exactly prepared to run after criminals. Seriously, how effectively can you fight crime on a horse?
Not to mention this is MU. If liquor patrol is going on an underage-arrest spree, then they might as well go inside every residence hall room, search through every fraternity house and knock on all the doors around student living complexes and neighborhoods. Chances are, people are drinking more than just Kool-Aid.
I understand our law enforcement has a job to do, and don't get me wrong, I have great respect for our police officers and the sacrifices they make. I just think in this economy, taxpayer money and CPD time could be used on more productive enforcement. I would like to feel safe driving at night on a weekend without the fear of a drunken idiot killing me or not feel the need to have my mace out on campus when I walk home from work at 11 p.m.
I hope because it is the first week of school, more people get arrested for DUIs than underage drinking, but I'm not so optimistic. Even though I can retire my fake ID and start using my actual driver's license, I don't want underage college students to stop going out and having fun. I just hope everyone under 21 is more cautious this year and local bars aren't too negatively affected. But if there is a bright side to all this chaos, it's recognizing that though our police officers look like G.O.B. from “Arrested Development,” at least the local Segway stores are getting business.
