FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) teamed up with the University of Arkansas Police Department (UAPD) this weekend to curb underage drinking on Dickson Street, near the University.
According to FPD, 49 people between the ages of 18 and 20 were ticketed for possessing alcohol and/or a fake ID, and Three were arrested for public intoxication.
"We've noticed that this has become a bigger problem this school year. We know that there are lots of fake IDs out there," said FPD Sergeant Tony Murphy, “We formed this unit and put some extra officers down there just to let the establishments and the underage drinkers know that the police are out there looking.”
“Every fall, when we have a lot of new freshmen coming in, some students think it's just okay to use fake IDs and drink," said Captain Gary Crain with UAPD.
Sergeant Murphy says there needs to be better training for employees of Dickson Street businesses to help combat this issue.
“We do understand that some of these fake IDs are very hard to recognize, so we will be offering some training to help them," said Sergeant Murphy.
Captain Crain also says underage drinking is an issue that has also been growing on campus.
“The numbers have gone up," said Captain Crain. “There is probably an idea in other parts of the state that you can come to Fayetteville and you can just do whatever you like ... That is not the case.”
Underage drinking can put people in tough situations, and Captain Crain says students may worry about calling for help if they're afraid they might get in trouble.
“Don't worry about getting in trouble, call for help. Because the person that's making that call is not going to get in trouble for seeking help for somebody," said Captain Crain.
Both Captain Crain and Sergeant Murphy hoped this warned students. Crain said the FPD will continue to monitor the situation and make more arrests if this continues to be a problem on Dickson Street.
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