The first week of school introduced several students to a law enforcement agency devoted to preventing their underage debauchery.
Indiana State Excise Police Cpl. Brian Lang said excise officers have issued about 25 citations since move-in weekend. The majority of them were issued to students, he said.
"We're not just about arresting everyone or writing tickets," Lang said. "We're not out to spoil everybody's good time, we just want to make sure everyone is safe."
With the exception of a citation for failure to appear in court, every ticket written involved minors and alcohol, he said.
Nine citations came during Thursday's football game and tailgating and 12 came the following Friday night, he said. No officers were in the Ball State University area Saturday.
Lang said three officers were in the Ball State area the past two weekends. Five to 10 officers will be assigned to the area on most weekends and football game days, but occasionally that number will increase, he said.
"We plan on having as many officers as we can throughout the school year to make sure everyone is in compliance," Lang said.
His main concern is safety and the excise officers' presence cuts down on dangers like vandalism and rape, he said.
Excise police would ask the Muncie and the University Police departments for help whenever they address a situation that they couldn't handle alone, he said.
Director of Public Safety Gene Burton said excise's presence in the area has no negative effects on how the university's police department functions.
"Indiana State Excise Police play an important function in enforcing alcohol laws," Burton said. "They really benefit the community."
Lang said Ball State police have been helpful and cooperative in past years.
Both Burton and Lang said no specific cooperation plans have been made for this semester but if one department asks for help, the other will respond.
Lang said officers receive tips and complaints from residents in the Ball State area about common party locations. As the semester progresses officers know which areas to patrol.
"[Muncie residents] call in complaints and we get tips from resources, so we learn where the parties are," he said. "For the most part, people are pretty tolerant and are used to it, but the few bad apples spoil the whole bunch."
Excise police
- Delaware County falls in district two of the excise police department.
- Ball State is the largest of several colleges and universities in the district and is the main concern for excise.
- Excise is divided into six districts in Indiana and no district has more than one major college or university.
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