76 cited for underage drinking at St. Paul party

Working off a tip, police zeroed in on a college house party Saturday near the University of St. Thomas.

By ANTHONY LONETREE, Star Tribune

Last update: April 28, 2008 - 9:21 PM

Tipped by neighbors and students, St. Paul police busted a college house party in the city's Merriam Park neighborhood early Saturday, citing 76 people for underage drinking.

Karen Lange, dean of students at the University of St. Thomas, said Monday that it was thought that the house is rented by St. Thomas students. But it was not yet known, she added, how many of the people ticketed attend the university.

Eight to 10 officers converged on the bash about 12:15 a.m. as part of the police department's ZAP (Zero Adult Providers) program, police spokesman Peter Panos said.

Unlike the busts often carried out by the multiagency patrols near the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Saturday's crackdown was not a spontaneous event, but a result of advance tips and planning.

Overtime funding was secured, Panos said, and a team of officers assembled from the department's Western District and FORCE unit.

In a written statement, Chief John Harrington said that in view of alcohol-related deaths at other university campuses and communities, "we would much prefer to spend some of our limited resources to prevent a tragedy rather than respond to one."

The department is expected to continue its party crackdown through the rest of the school year, Panos said.

At St. Thomas, a student can face penalties under the school's code of conduct even if offenses occur off-campus, Lange said. First-time offenders could find themselves required to take an alcohol-responsibility course and pay an $80 fine, in addition to any fines from police-issued citations.

Theresa Heiland, executive director of the district council that serves Merriam Park, said that ZAP enforcement is not uncommon during the springtime, but that the number of citations issued Saturday was unusual. Lange, too, said that she could not recall a St. Paul bust that had snared as many potential violators.

The house at which the party was held is in the 2100 block of Temple Court.

Anthony Lonetree • 651-298-1545

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