Five college students were cited for MIPs—Minor in Possession—a citation that carries a fine between 300 and 400 dollars in the state of Iowa. These students were primarily apprehended outside of off-campus houses where tenants were hosting parties.
“We want the kids to have a successful year and have fun and all that but they have to do it responsibly and if the people throwing these parties can’t police their parties, then we have to do it for them and then we end up with arrests and citations,” said Sergeant Dan Johnson, an eight-year veteran of the Grinnell Police Department.
In their efforts to contain off-campus parties and protect both the students and neighboring community, police shut down several parties this past weekend—not just on High Street—and gave some citations in the process.
“[The party hosts] have to make sure that they respect their neighbors,” he said. “They can’t have 100 kids standing outside and being loud and drinking and stuff like that. They need to be sure that anyone drinking there is of age. They have to make sure no other criminal activity is going on, like urinating in public.”
Sergeant Johnson also noted that if the police force continues to have issues with the same houses, they will not simply turn a blind eye but will increase their enforcement.
“That’s not something we want to do,” he said.
On Saturday, one second-year left Gates and was walking on Seventh Ave. with two beers, one opened and one closed. When an approaching student told her that police were around the area, she set her beers on the ground.
“Within seconds a cop was on from behind me,” she said. She received an MIP and received a 330-dollar fine.
“A lot of us get too comfortable. We all think we’re a little more invincible than we are. The law is the law, even though it’s not a half-mile away. It was an eye-opener,” she said.
Although state and federal laws still apply on Grinnell College campus, it often does not feel like that for many students until they are fined or otherwise warned.
For these students who frequent off-campus parties, Sergeant Johnson had some advice about how to act in order to reduce the possibility of a citation or arrest.
“Basically, don’t draw attention to yourself. And if you do have to deal with an officer just be upfront and honest. It’s going to go a lot better,” he advised.
