A new police program designed to target underage drinkers and identify people who provide alcohol to those younger than 21 is underway as a result of an $80,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB).

The "alcohol source project" is an 18-month pilot program that was designed by the PLCB to evaluate methods for reducing excessive and underage drinking. It is being tested by the State College Police Department with the possibility of spreading it to the rest of the state. The program provides more manpower to the police department and allows officers to target large gatherings in which alcohol is served to minors.

"If officers encounter a large party with underage drinking, instead of just breaking it up, they will have the ability to investigate more fully the source of the alcohol," said Sgt. Dana Leonard, the officer in charge of the project.

"The goal of this program is first to identify and hold accountable the suppliers of alcohol to minors, and secondly, to increase the likelihood and the perception that people engaged in underage or dangerous drinking will attract [officers'] attention," Leonard added.

The program began in early January and is still in the preliminary stages. Leonard said he expects the enforcement aspect of the program to pick up during March, with the emphasis on Thursday through Saturday nights. The primary areas of focus for the project are large off-campus parties in the borough.

"The program is designed to target large parties that attract underage people, which include lawn parties, house parties and fraternity parties. It's no secret fraternity parties have a significant impact on the neighborhood," Leonard said.

He added that State College police will use several statistics beyond the number of citations for underage drinking and furnishing alcohol to minors to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. They might also examine the number of disorderly conduct citations or disturbance calls from citizens.

"We also might poll students to see if the program is having an effect. This program is very much a response to the needs of the community," Leonard said.

He said police use several different techniques for investigating underage drinking, including witness or victim statements, undercover or plainclothes officers, and search warrants. He said he expects the number of arrests for furnishing alcohol to minors to increase in the coming months.

The experience the State College police have dealing with underage drinking is one of the main reasons they were chosen for the program, said Steve Schmidt, director of education for the PLCB.

"What they have shown in the past was a willingness to find solutions to underage drinking. They jumped out as a viable candidate for this pilot program," Schmidt said.

Schmidt added that while there is a percentage of the population who doesn't believe it is wrong to drink underage, evidence developed over many years shows there are dangers associated with underage drinking.

"When you look at the scientific issues, there is no question that consequences exist. Car crashes, academic failure, sexual assault and increased violence are all associated with dangerous or underage drinking. We recognize that high-risk drinking is dangerous, and as a result, we have laws," Schmidt said.

Leonard said alcohol is a significant factor in many of the crimes the police department investigates.

"The vast majority of sexual assaults and probably 90 percent of the street assaults we deal with are alcohol-fueled," Leonard said.

Schmidt said the value of the project goes beyond simply increasing the number of citations issued for underage drinking.

"The value of enforcement isn't just about arresting people, it's also about deterrents. The value of a sobriety checkpoint isn't the number of driving under the influence arrests, rather it's the number of [intoxicated] people who chose not to drive that night," Schmidt said.

While the alcohol source project focuses on individuals who are unlicensed providers of alcohol to minors, establishments licensed to serve alcohol can also be cited if they serve minors. The Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, an arm of the Pennsylvania State Police in Altoona, is the law enforcement organization responsible for overseeing bottle shops, bars and the three Wine and Spirit Shoppes in the State College area.

Thomas Manion, district commander for the bureau, said his officers come to the area regularly, including within the last week, to follow up on complaints from the police or public.