Winter 2009
Annual police report shows strong enforcement of alcohol laws
Chief Laura Wilson
The 2007 annual crime report, compiled by the Department of Public Safety, shows an increase in the number of arrests for liquor law violations—a jump linked to heightened patrolling of student residences on weekends.
Campus police made 81 arrests for liquor law violations in 2007, up from 39 in 2006 and 22 the year before. The category includes arrests made for minors in possession of alcohol and for drinking.
Chief Laura Wilson cautioned that those statistics don’t necessarily indicate that more Stanford students are drinking. According to Wilson, only 42 of the 81 individuals arrested were Stanford students.
Statistics compiled at Vaden Health Center actually reflect a decrease in drinking among students. Vaden—the primary provider of health services for registered students—also is the clearinghouse for alcohol-related cases. Over the last four academic years, the number of students transported to the emergency room for alcohol poisoning dropped from 119 to 37.
Wilson said increased patrolling around the dorms on weekends does more than protect intoxicated students from doing harm to themselves. Police presence also prevents students from being taken advantage of by those coming from off campus. Reports of burglaries and thefts during student parties are fairly common, Wilson explained.
The number of burglaries in dorms rose from 48 in 2006 to 63 last year, the report states. Overall, the number of unlawful entries into structures on campus, “with the intent to commit a felony or a theft,” increased from 107 in 2006 to 137 last year. Bicycle thefts on campus also went up from 268 to 294.
University police write the annual Safety and Security Report to publicize campus security programs, recommend safety practices and share campus crime statistics.
The report is available at http://police.stanford.edu.
