Arizona law enforcement agencies will be watching for underage drinking throughout the state this weekend as the holidays arrive, officials said.
Leesa Berens-Morrison, director of the state Department of Liquor Lic-enses and Control, announced the first-time partnership of the department and the Governor's Office of Highway Safety. The two agencies will work to "reduce fatalities and DUIs before they happen," she said.
"The department is going to be stepping up its enforcement around the three major universities," Berens-Morrison said. "Traditionally, the higher rates have occurred around the university areas."
But ASU spokesman Keith Jennings said, "Most underage drinkers wouldn't be college students."
"They could be high school students as well," he said. "The drinking age is 21, and our average age is about 23 because we have so many graduate students."
Jennings added that about 35 to 40 percent of the University's students are under 21.
The liquor department may be using some of those underage students to help stop liquor sales to others who are underage.
"We're going to be performing CUB, or Covert Underage Buyers detail," Berens-Morrison said.
An Arizona statute allows people from 15 to 19 years of age to participate with law enforcement as undercover investigators. They will go into bars, restaurants and other businesses that sell liquor to try to purchase alcohol.
But some students say that efforts to curb underage drinking may be in vain.
"As much as they try, they can never stop it," said journalism sophomore Carrie McBride. "I know the bars around here are very lenient."
McBride has been to Pennsylvania universities for St. Patrick's Day and said the law enforcement is stronger there.
"At the universities of Penn or Temple, it's all real strict," she said. "If you even try, you're going to get busted."
Some bar and restaurant managers said they go to great lengths to stop underage drinkers.
"We have door guys, and we take IDs every night," said Keith Harmon, general manager at the Vine Tavern on Apache Boulevard. "If they are suspicious IDs, we have them sign a piece of paper, which just covers us."
Spanish junior Greg Elliott usually spends winter break in Tempe and said law enforcement seems to be able to control the problem.
"I haven't seen a lot of drunk drivers, and I've never seen an accident with a drunk driver involved, so I think that they're doing a pretty good job," he said.
"The cops always seem to be around, and it seems to make me pretty uncomfortable when I pull up next to them. I always think I'm doing something wrong even if I'm not," Elliott added.
City law enforcement agencies also are increasing patrols to combat holiday drinking.
The East Valley Driving Under the Influence Task Force will start its end-of-the-year roundups of intoxicated drivers on Nov. 28, said Sgt. Dan Masters, a Tempe police spokesman.
"There are a large number of holiday parties and business parties where alcohol is served," he said. "That's when unfortunately we see a large number of accidents involving impaired drivers that commit traffic violations."
The task force will rotate its headquarters on weekends through the end of the year and will be in Tempe on Dec. 5, 6, 22 and 31. The force will patrol everyday from Dec. 17 through Dec. 31.
Reach the reporter at michael.miklofsky@asu.edu.
