Martina Bretous / News Director
Spring Break is right around the corner and the FIU Police Department’s main priority is ensuring everyone’s safety.
“Some problem areas that we see with students –and this is consistent throughout the nation typically during spring break– is excessive drinking,” said Chief Alexander Casas. “Students, pent up from semester’s worth of work, let loose a little bit [and] sometimes, drink a little bit too much, and find themselves in situations … that may compromise their safety.”
During spring break, where there is usually a spike in crime, and on campus, the FIUPD focuses mostly on the dormitories.
“[We] bring in extra officers to patrol during those times, particularly in those areas that we need to patrol, which in the evenings, will be the dorms,” Casas said. “That’s where the parties are at, the frats and the dorms.”
While on patrol, officers look for signs of distress that might indicate something is not right.
“When we get there … we want to make sure no one is having any medical episodes [like] dehydration, excessive intoxication, those types of things,” said Casas. “So it’s not only keeping the peace but also maintaining their health and their safety.”
Those interactions, he says, determine whether they will let an individual, who may appear intoxicated, operate a vehicle or leave the location with someone.
“We ask questions like ‘do you know where you are,’ ‘what’s your name’ … to try to get an understanding of the person’s state of mind … and if they’re in a position to make rational decisions,” said Casas.
Casas urges students to form pacts with their friends to nominate one person who will “ step up and calm everyone down,” if anything gets out of hand. He also says it’s important for groups to stick together when they go out and always leave the location with the same people they came.
“If they [a student] go out with two or three friends, to the beach or a nightclub, and they stay behind by themselves, that is not the safest situation … You put yourself in a situation where someone could take advantage of you, or you could find yourself lost or stranded,” said Casas.
Officers are also trained to look for signs of distress and excessive intoxication; Casas notes that there’s a difference between having a good time and being disruptive.
“When your behavior gets to the point that it disrupts those around you, it becomes, what we call, disorderly intoxication — being excessively rowdy, being verbally abusive, engaging in disputes or arguments with others up to and including physical altercations,” he said.
In addition to the legal ramifications of alcohol-related charges, which include suspended licenses and arrests, it can affect students’ collegiate careers.
“Those issues have legal consequences that you now have to deal with but in addition to that, as a student, you could be in violation of the code of student conduct … and it could really impact your ability to get into grad school and different types of careers in the future,” Casas said.
Family members and friends can play a role in protecting their loved ones as well, Casas says.
“Let them know where you’re going to be traveling to so if a significant amount of time passes and they haven’t heard from you, in a day or so, they’ll have an idea of the last place you were supposed to be.”
He adds that services like Lyft and Uber are available for students and are sometimes the safer alternative.
“Our greatest concern with our students is to take the time off during spring break and act responsibly,” said Casas. “Enjoy yourselves, enjoy what spring break has to offer but do it in a responsible manner where you remain as safe as you can be.”
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons
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