UD cites more than 40 for underage drinking

University of Dayton police cited 43 people for underage drinking in the past two weeks as the school cracks down on what it has called a problem that rises just as temperatures do.

UD police cited one person for underage drinking Feb. 17, 15 on Feb. 18 and one on Feb. 19, according to a police crime log. Most of the citations were issued at locations along Lowes Street, which runs through UD’s southern student neighborhood.

The University of Dayton on Feb. 17 sent an email to students warning them there would be an “increased staff and police presence” in student neighborhoods that weekend to better ensure safety.

Overall, the weekend of the crackdown only yielded three more underage citations than the prior weekend of Feb. 10 through Feb. 12, and only two more than the first weekend in February, according to crime logs.

Police recorded 20 underage citations last Thursday, Feb. 23, more than the entire weekend of the upped police presence. UD police cited one person for underage drinking Friday, one on Saturday and four on Sunday, according to crime logs.

The Thursday before the crackdown had no underage violations recorded, according to crime logs.

The health and safety of students is the highest priority, officials said in a prepared statement Tuesday.

“We continue to emphasize to our students their responsibility to treat themselves and others with respect and abide by the law, university policies and our student code of conduct. We will continue to hold students accountable for their behavior and work with them to keep our campus community safe,” the statement read.