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PrintCOLUMBIA — More MU police will be on foot, bike and vehicle patrol this weekend looking for open containers of alcohol, minors in possession and other alcohol violations.
Officers will focus on Francis Quadrangle, Greektown, the campus's border with downtown and other high pedestrian areas from 9 p.m. Friday through 3 a.m. Saturday.
A grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation Highway Safety Division is funding the saturation, which is geared toward youth alcohol consumption.
"It just allows us to put additional resources out to focus on a specific issue," MU Police Capt. Brian Weimer said. He said at least four additional officers will be patrolling for open container and minor in possession violations.
Law enforcement around the city, county and state is making an effort to up DWI enforcement this weekend, using money from the the Transportation Department.
"We are coinciding with that," MU Police Capt. Brian Weimer said. "We will be assisting them with some of their activities, too."
The Transportation Department pays for five saturation patrols each year that coincide with holiday weekends or other special events. Transportation Department grant specialist Chris Luebbert said the dates are chosen because they typically have a lot of social activity that can involve drinking.
"The purpose of these is to deter people," he said. "Just to let the public know, please don't drink and drive."
The MU Police Department applied for the grant in August and received $12,500 for alcohol enforcement all year, Luebbert said. The money covers the cost of overtime.
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Comments
I understand patroling for DWI but it's stupid to have more cops to bother people drinking underage and having an open container. Columbia used to not be this way and everything was just fine. I don't understand why the police want to cause more problems.