Lucky Charms: they're magically busting alcohol offenders

While students were drinking green beer in area clubs on St. Patrick's Day, area police officers combed downtown streets and establishments looking for alcohol violations.

Operation Lucky Charm, a joint effort among the State College Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police Troop G and the Altoona division of the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, placed approximately 60 undercover and uniformed officers on downtown streets from 6 p.m. Monday until 2 a.m. yesterday. The police patrolled on foot, in police cars and on bicycles.

Centre Region Code Enforcement also assisted in the operation by checking occupancy limits at eight bars. One establishment was over-occupied by about 70 patrons.

The names of night clubs and individuals cited were not released at a news conference yesterday.

Some of the liquor license violations police found included dealers selling individuals more than 192 ounces of alcohol at one time, said Sgt. Rick Lingenfelter, commander of the Altoona division of the Office of Liquor Control Enforcement. The law prohibits consumers from buying more than two 16-ounce 6-packs of beer.

"Twelve packs are very popular up here," he said.

The police department intends to continue this type of action.

"We definitely will be doing more of these in the near future," State College Police Chief Thomas R. King said at yesterday's news conference. "We treat this alcohol problem seriously."

However, some students wondered how the operation would help the University's alcohol situation.

The purpose behind the operation was what Undergraduate Student Government president Sharon Entenberg questioned.

"Is it just to harass students or are they going to do something with the information?" Entenberg asked.

Entenberg said she was in Zeno's, 100 W. College Ave., when she first learned about Lucky Charm. She said plainclothes officers would not allow her to leave the establishment Monday until they had concluded their investigation.

Education is the best way to teach students about the dangers of alcohol, Entenberg said.

"If (the police) are trying to help the alcohol situation, just patrolling is not enough. You need to educate people on why they shouldn't be drinking 20 beers a night."

Some area night clubs were not surprised by Lucky Charm.

"That's pretty routine for them to check out capacity," said David Wells, director of operations for Dante's Restaurants, Inc., 936 E. College Ave., which owns Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., and The Saloon, 101 Hiester St. "They're doing what they're supposed to be doing."

Dante's strives to continually abide by all alcohol-related laws, Wells said. "We take great efforts to try to uphold the rules."

The crackdown on alcohol violations is partly due to recent events involving alcohol, said Cpl. David White of the State College police.