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After months of silence, State Liquor Enforcement has finally responded to concerns voiced last November by CMU Student Services over unfounded MIPs.
“They [State Liquor Enforcement] have a very different understanding of what has occurred than we do in regards to specific circumstances,” said John Marshall, Vice President of Student Services.
After 22 underage drinking citations were handed out over Homecoming weekend, Student Services decided it would be beneficial to attempt to consolidate efforts with Grand Junction Police Department, the Sheriff’s Office and State Liquor Enforcement.
“The piece that I would say is positive is we’ve had some dialogue about how to better communicate with each other and about how to be a little more connected as it relates to education and enforcement,” Marshall said.
Complications have arisen because of the controversial EUDAL funds, a federal grant given to states to distribute among law enforcement agencies to reduce underage drinking. In years past, funds were awarded to both GJPD and the Sheriff’s Office, but according to Heather Benjamin, spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office, that policy ended in March 2013.
“It was awarded for a year and a half at a time,” Benjamin said. “The feds reduced the grant amount, but the state liquor enforcement guys use it up and there’s not enough to give to local government.”
Marshall worries that the switch to unilateral state action will place too much emphasis on enforcement at the cost of important educational measures.
“At the end of the day with things that are happening on the ground, you just know intuitively it’s going to go better if all of us are talking,” Marshall said. “If any one group is trying to do a task as complicated as underage drinking enforcement at a university, I would make the case that it’s really hard to do it effectively.”
Benjamin contends that even though EUDAL funds aren’t available for local enforcement agencies, cooperative actions are still utilized to better accommodate resources.
“We may still be able to do that with our school resource officers,” Benjamin said. “We just get creative with things like that.”
Prior to the depletion of EUDAL funds, the different enforcement agencies would ‘sting’ parties together and even send 20-year-olds into liquor stores to ensure businesses were carding properly. While significantly more limited, both the Sherriff’s Office and GJPD continue to respond to MIP concerns, though they now rely on 911 calls and complaints before investigating. In the instances of more specific liquor violations, local agencies still communicate with State Liquor.
“If our guys came across something like a bar that continued to over-serve people, we would let State Liquor guys know,” Benjamin said. “That’s their specialty.”
State Liquor still possesses the jurisdiction to issue citations for underage drinking, and their office continues to prosecute violations across the Western Slope.
“Be that as it may, our sense is we can find some ways to work better together and try and provide students with every opportunity to learn from their mistakes as best as possible,” Marshall said.
Though some optimism has arisen from the recent exchange, Marshall still maintains that a lot of work remains to be done in terms of solidifying goals into a uniform vision.
“I wouldn’t say a total response, but some,” Marshall said. “It’s a work in progress. I think there’s a desire to have a good, coordinated team.”
cferganc@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
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