Duluth police crackdown takes aim at college parties
September 10, 2010 at 7:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
A group of Duluth college students saw firsthand this week just how serious law enforcement is about cracking down on underage drinking parties.
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I wish the cops were as concerned about the drug dealers in the central hillside area.
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That comment is off the wall Tom….Noise and raucus behavior make parties obvious. Drug deals are done covertly and harder to detect.
The police don’t act on every little drug deal done….it takes time to watch the players and backtrack to the source. In the long run….that takes care of a Lot of drug deals and causes a delay while Everyone starts all over again.
I wouldn’t be too concerned about whether the cops are working hard or doing their jobs. It seems to me they are fighting a losing battle, but doing a damn good job at making the effort. We also seem to have a Progressive Team at the Top with a both a Short and Long Range plan for our city. And they finally have some orginances in place to back them up with their goals.
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*ordinances
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I certainly understand the reasoning for some of these new laws….such as the “social host” law, but they trouble me none the less. We seem to be enterting a period where the actual violator of a law isn’t necessarily the one charged with the “crime”. Rather law enforcement grabs the easy target and makes you the scape goat unless you prove that you’re innocent….if that’s even possible in many cases. Seems to me that runs afoul of something in the Bill of Rights ??? They have made it a violation in it’s own right to own property or drive a car (see below) that a violation is committed on/in.
We’ve been told for years by law enforcement, “don’t take the law into your own hands….leave that to us”. Now it appears citizens are being held reponsible for not preventing and investigating violations/crimes that in some cases we have not much control over. Red light/speed cameras (not around here fortunately) are sending tickets not necessarily to the voilators….but the owner of the car. A car can’t commit a crime by itself….only a driver can do that. But since it’s easy (and really really effecient) to just charge the registered owner of the car and force you to do the leg work of the police department and prove you weren’t driving the car and turn in the person who was. Isn’t that making you do police work for the police department ? It would appear so to me.
The Social Host ordinance is a case in point. Sure, as a home owner or landlord you should be able to dictate what happens in your house. But anyone who’s a landlord or had teenagers, irresponsible siblings or renters stay with you for a time knows how well that sometimes works. It just seems to me that the police sometimes want you to do their work for them. If my renters are having a illegal party….then arrest and fine them, not me. I can’t be everywhere monitoring all people at all times nor should I have to.
I would like to think that our justice system and law enforcement is more concerned with charging actual violators of laws with crimes, and not just effeciency in going after the easy target who’s at best potentially loosely linked to the situation.
We’re entering dangerous territory here if you ask me. My parents were landlords years ago….trust me, you can’t control everything your renters or housemates do.
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Thank you Duluth police department!
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I’m glad to see they are cracking down on the parties. Back in the day, I went to lots of these parties, and trust me. Nothing good is going on. It’s not somewhere you’d want your college child to be.
I’m not sure how I feel about the social host ordinance except that it is probably detering some kids from having parties in fear of getting cited. I am not in favor of someone being ticketed if they are truly not responsible for the party. But if I were a college student, I’d probably think twice before hosting a kegger.
The cops ARE concerned about the drug dealers. They have busted up several hard-core drug rings in this city the past few years.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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