Mayor wants UCFPD to be able to patrol off-campus bars

UCFPD Chief: State ABT is not doing enough to prevent underage drinking

ORLANDO, Fla. – Leaders at several major Central Florida agencies have expressed a willingness to come together and discuss an unprecedented strategy to fight underage DUIs, giving the University of Central Florida Police Department the power to police off-campus bars. 

Local 6 first reported Wednesday that UCF police Chief Richard Beary has been tracking where DUI suspects reported coming from, along with their ages. More than 60 percent of the 117 drivers on the chief's DUI spreadsheet were under 21, and many reported coming from bars near UCF, according to Beary's data.

"For every one we get, there's probably seven or eight that we don't," Beary said.

The story hit home with Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs.

"I wish I could tell you I was more surprised," Jacobs said. "My own kids have lost friends to DUI accidents, underage, while in college."

Jacobs said she would "absolutely support" giving UCFPD more leverage to enforce underage drinking laws at bars outside his normal jurisdiction, which extends only about 1,000 feet off campus.

"I do know enough about the law and bureaucracy that it wouldn't surprise me if we have some impediments, but I don't think it's anything that we can't overcome," Jacobs said. "One of the things we're good at here is collaborative solutions."

The Orange County Sheriff's Office and state Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco division have jurisdiction over enforcing underage drinking laws at bars located off of UCF's campus. Beary said the state really should be the lead when it comes to conducting operations to catch bars serving underage patrons, but that it has backed off in recent years and has become "politically correct" when it comes to enforcement.

The state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which oversees the ABT, has faced pressure from the Legislature to save money by slashing 30 percent of its sworn law enforcement officers -- who are needed to conduct undercover bar stings -- and reclassify them as civilian inspectors focused on regulatory functions.

While the state has reduced its resources in Central Florida, local agencies have tried to address the underage drinking and driving problem plaguing Orange County's east side.

"OCSO works with and is provided funding by the Orange County Government Drug Free Coalition to work underage drinking details," said OCSO Major Ron Stucker. "Eastside commanders historically have met with the bars to try to work on solutions to the problem."

OCSO has mutual aid agreements with UCF and other city police that allows the agencies to stop a drunk driver outside of their jurisdiction.

Changing the mutual aid agreement to allow UCFPD to enforce underage drinking laws at bars near campus "is a fresh concept," Beary said.

"I think if we structured this right that we could make it work," Beary said, adding that it would have to be done carefully to make sure it stands up in court. 

"I think the state ABT would have to be involved to make sure we're on good ground legally," Beary said.

Local 6 is working to find out to what extent the state ABT would be willing to participate in the concept being explored by UCFPD and Orange County.

As for OCSO, Stucker said, "We are willing to discuss other proposed solutions with all of our local partners."

Kramer Law Founder Steve Kramer believes current law would allow OCSO to grant UCFPD the power to help enforce the underage drinking laws. 

"It's absolutely possible," Kramer said. "There's already a mutual aid agreement in place where they're working together cooperatively to a limited extent."

Jacobs said she wants to make sure bars are held accountable.

"Businesses that are selling to underage students that are not going through the due diligence, they should to make sure that they're of age. (They) need to be held highly responsible," Jacobs said.

She said she also believes parents would welcome the additional oversight from UCFPD.

"I don't think any of us who have kids who go through the teenage years, that we don't have sleepless nights hoping that wherever they are or whatever they're doing, that whoever's driving that car is sober," Jacobs said.

Beary said approaching the underage DUI problem from the perspective of a parent is important.

"We have to get people to realize these are your children, your grandchildren that are the ones that are going to get killed out there, so we need to work together," Beary said. "You know, if we save one life, we've done an incredible job."


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