The University and city police departments geared up for a busy weekend and another year as students came back into town.
Lt. Brad Biller of the Bowling Green Police Division said there is a spike in crime for the first several weekends before and after school starts, with an increase in disorderly conduct and underage alcohol arrests and citations.
Biller pointed out that a lot of factors contribute to the spike, including the Wood County Fair, the National Tractor Pulling Championship and the Black Swamp Arts Festival, providing a lot of activity and bringing more people to the town.
This could be in part to an initial misunderstanding people may have when arriving to the town, Biller said.
“Some people have an expectation that they come here not as residents, but as visitors that don’t have responsibilities in the community,” Biller said. “I think that people recognize some of those responsibilities as they’re here.”
The crime spike, Biller said, continues through Halloween before decreasing as winter sets in, and a massive drop-off occurs during winter break. When students come back from winter break and the weather gets nicer as spring approaches, crime rises again.
Tim James, administrative captain for the University police, attributes the rise in crime to the fact that the town’s population as a whole has grown.
“I wouldn’t say that our crime rate goes up from school year to school year,” James said.
The city police department does not distinguish whether an offender is a student.
Biller said he thinks a majority of the misdemeanor crimes in town (which the city deals with more than felony crime) deal with people under the age of 30.
Mike Campbell, patrol captain for the University Police, said underage drinking is a common offense on a college campus that occurs throughout the year, even the summer, if not as much.
“[Those offenses] depend on the individual,” Campbell said. “If they decide to drink underage, it could be a multitude of reasons.”
Alcohol is often a factor in the “risk-taking behavior” that leads to disorderly conduct that often includes fighting, Biller said.
“It’s comical and sad at the same time that people fight over some of the stuff they fight over,” Biller said. “I would venture to say most of those fights have a root in someone being under some level of impairment or influence of alcohol or drugs because they engage in behaviors that they normally wouldn’t.”
The punishment for first-time alcohol offenders involves an alcohol diversion program, where offenders pay the associated court costs and perform community service to have the charge dismissed.
“Our prosecutor’s office has recognized that … people get out of the house for the first time, they’ve got some learning to do, they’ve got some experiencing of life to do,” Biller said. “We recognize that the impact a criminal conviction can have on somebody is pretty significant.
“The philosophy is that everybody makes mistakes,” he continued. “Although there are consequences attached, we are willing to pull back on some of those future ramifications.”
Editor’s note: This story originally ran in Friday’s issue of The BG News.
