Police ramp up alcohol enforcement

Local police departments have increased enforcement efforts for alcohol-related offenses as part of a continuing effort to help UC Davis students make better choices and reduce alcohol-related problems on and off campus.

The UC Davis and city of Davis police departments stepped up enforcement beginning on the first day of classes and will continue those efforts through Halloween, with an emphasis on Thursday and Saturday evenings from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

UC Davis Police Lt. Matt Carmichael said the efforts include extra police patrols in the downtown and bar area, a designated police team to respond to complaints about loud parties, and bicycle officers mixing with students as they leave campus. As students return to campus, officers will be watching for open containers of alcohol and students who may have had too much to drink.

Patrol officers, Carmichael said, are just looking to keep everyone safe.

“This is the start of school and, for a lot of students, their first time away from home,” Carmichael said. “This campaign is important at the beginning of the year as we are dealing with a lot of young adults who, for the first time away from home, may try alcohol. Not knowing their own limits can be very dangerous,” he said, “and we are doing everything we can to ensure we avoid such things as alcohol poisonings.”

The increase in law enforcement related to alcohol use continues one of the components of the Safe Party Initiative begun at UC Davis in 2005. Part of a $6.9 million research project at 14 UC and California State University campuses, the initiative also shows students how to reduce alcohol-related risks at parties and fosters better relationships among students and their neighbors.

Students develop safety course

Six new UC Davis graduates are helping students here become more informed about safety issues with the launch of a new course this fall.

The freshman seminar, titled “Are You Prepared? An Aggie’s Ultimate Guide to Campus Safety,” is addressing women’s safety and self-defense, party safety, bike safety, student stress and distress, first aid and fire safety, emergency communication and response, and residence hall safety.

“The credit for organizing the course goes to a group of students — now all graduated — who envisioned this topic as important for the campus,” said Jim Grieshop, who is teaching the course. He is an emeritus specialist and lecturer in the Department of Human and Community Development.

As a pilot project of UC Davis’ emergency management program, campus officials offered honors students a list of topics to explore — all of them focusing on campus safety. The students began working on their project shortly after a troubled student at Virginia Tech killed 32 people and then turned a gun on himself in April 2007.

UC Davis graduate Rosario Jaime-Lara, now 22 and preparing for nursing school in New Jersey, is excited to see her group’s work come to fruition. She said there was a lot of research available about safety topics, but it was hard to find. “I thought having a class would be a good way to put it together.”

Read more about these stories in Aggie Family Pack — aggiefamilypack.ucdavis.edu