CORRECTION: Dan Vredenburg is an officer for Indiana State Excise Police. The story previously stated he is a lieutenant.
Officer Dan Vredenburg had always wanted to be a police officer. His role just takes a different spin than most — blending into the crowd as a college student look-alike and preventing people from harming themselves with drug and alcohol abuse.
The Indiana State Excise Police officer said he made about nine arrests during Saturday's football home opener and one later that night. As of Monday afternoon, he wasn't sure how many arrests were made by other excise cops over the weekend.
"Our No. 1 priority is to make sure everyone out here is safe," Vredenburg said. "And unfortunately there are people who can't behave themselves, which is why we have to be here."
Vredenburg, 28, has worked as an Excise police officer for five years now and says he wouldn't want to change to another department.
"The things we do have such variety that we don't do strictly patrolling," he said. "That keeps us fresh to continue doing our jobs."
The Indiana Excise Police is a division of the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. Not only are they empowered to enforce laws and rules of the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, they also enforce Indiana laws.
About seven Excise police officers patrolled the Muncie area before and after the football game Saturday evening, looking out for underage drinkers or inappropriate behaviors.
Before he started working for the Indiana State Excise Police, Vredenburg was a jail officer in Fort Wayne.
"I don't know exactly why I've always wanted to be a cop. I just did," he said. "I think some of it might have to do with the life that I grew up in, I kind of wanted do my part to make a difference."
TAILGATING
Wearing casual civilian clothes and driving unmarked cars, officers from the Excise Police tried to blend with students and other tailgaters outside Sheumann Stadium on Saturday evening.
The air was crisp and the atmosphere in the parking lots outside the stadium throbbed with people yelling or blasting music from their trucks and tents. Vredenburg walked through groups of people dancing, playing cornhole or simply drinking with friends.
"We won't harass them about it unless they're doing something stupid. Then that's the invitation for us," Vredenburg said. "We won't mess with someone who's intoxicated unless they're starting to make trouble."
Small groups of Excise police officers walked through the crowds of people, looking for specific mannerisms from underage drinkers.
"Some of the people over 21 will be freely walking around, drinking beer and having a good time," said Cpl. Keith Rinehart, who was patrolling with Vrendenburg. "Those underage walk around trying to hide their drink to the side or going over to the side to pour stuff, trying to be inconspicuous."
Rinehart said Saturday seemed like a normal day for a game opener at Ball State. The Excise police officers issued nine tickets before the game.
Vredenburg said the number of offenders will decrease as the weather grows cold and more people are aware of the Excise police officers patrolling the area.
"Some people will start recognizing us," he said. "You'll hear a lot of people pointing us out because they'll recognize us. As young as we look it's tough to fit in 100 percent."
PATROLLING CAMPUS
Nights patrolling around campus can be unpredictable and do not depend on whether or not there was a home football game earlier in the day.
"There's no norm. It's just all like hit and miss," Vredenburg said. "Some nights can get pretty crazy and some nights can be quiet."
Vredenburg started his patrol driving around McKinley Avenue and onto Jackson Street, where he assisted a state police officer making an arrest of an intoxicated student.
After giving the student a breathalyzer test, the officers determined they could take him to the jail instead of the hospital. If a person has a .25 of higher on a breathalyzer test, they must be taken to the hospital, Vredenburg said.
"When you come across somebody who's that highly intoxicated and can't take care of themselves, it may not appear [so] at the time, but you're making a difference," Vredenburg said. "Because you don't know what's going to happen to the person if you hadn't stopped them."
As Vredenburg continued his patrol Saturday night, he stopped a student who was walking down Dill Street with a beer on his hand. After asking for an ID and date of birth, the student responded with two different years. Vredenburg issued a ticket for the student and took his ID, which was fake.
Vredenburg said he's seen several fake IDs this year. Asking for a date of birth will usually give underage drinkers away, he said.
Vredenburg said while some see the Excise police as an inconvenience, he is glad to work for a department dedicated to saving lives.
"A lot of people often think we just look for underage drinkers, like we're harassing them," he said. "But it's hard to tell all the countless things that [have] been prevented because of us intervening and taking that action."
Excise police 411:
- Is a division of the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission
- Enforce laws and rules of the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission
- Enforce Indiana laws
Their job:
- Walk around during tailgating and look for students who appear intoxicated and underage
- Patrol campus and area neighborhoods
- Check that students at bars have proper ID
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