Arizona State University And Tempe Police Crack Down On Alcohol Violations

August 17, 2013

Classes at Arizona State University resume next week, but a push to discourage excess and underage drinking at the school has already begun.“Operation Safe and Sober” is a collaboration between ASU and the Tempe Police Department.

An ASU student drowned in Tempe Town Lake. Another was dumped in a hospital waiting room with a Post-It note saying he had drunk too much, and an ASU frat party led to a high schooler being badly burned. That is just a small sampling of alcohol-related incidents that faced ASU last school year.

So this year, Operation Safe and Sober is being given extra energy. Tempe police commander Noah Johnson said alcohol does not just lead to accidents but sometimes crimes.

“And we’re going to focus on youth alcohol, and we’re going to focus on tactics that mitigate those type of violent crimes from being committed,” Johnson said. “We’re also addressing the loud parties in our neighborhoods, which also can breed a lot of violent crime.”

Johnson explained that agencies from across the Valley have joined the effort. He added that people in Tempe can expect ramped-up patrols and DUI enforcement through the end of the month.