More police specifically targeting underage drinking, furnishing to minors and driving under the influence will be patrolling starting tonight, officials said at a press conference yesterday.

The increased patrols are part of a holiday campaign by local law enforcement to quell "dangerous and underage drinking." Citing "too many alcohol-fueled injuries, too many alcohol-fueled crashes and too many alcohol-fueled deaths," State College Police Chief Tom King said the community must take steps to combat the problem.

King said extra officers dedicated to drunken driving prevention will be on duty between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. Also, extra officers will be assigned to investigate underage drinking parties and selling and furnishing alcohol to minors.

The increased enforcement will continue through Jan. 1.

Although Penn State classes end today and will not resume until Jan. 16, King said the campaign is aimed at reducing incidents during the party-heavy holiday season.

King said drunken driving and dangerous drinking prevention will continue to be a "high priority" in 2007, but he added officer levels would probably remain similar to this year because deployment was "maxed-out."

King said recent incidents have made drunken driving prevention "fresh in our minds."

According to court documents, on Oct. 28, 20-year-old junior Anthony Torsell drove drunk and

hit two men, killing one and critically injuring another. On Dec. 2, 18-year-old freshman Michael Drauch was hit on East College Avenue allegedly by former student Katherine Applegate, 23, who police said was intoxicated.

Officials said drunken driving incidents have been a growing problem in Centre County this year. Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira said a record-high 850 DUI cases had been prosecuted in the county from January to November of this year.

King said of the 460 DUI arrests in Stage College so far this year, 30 to 40 percent were students, a percentage he said was consistent with past years. He said unlike other alcohol-related incidents, drunken driving is not just a student problem.

Officials cited State College's youthful population, growing community and high concentration of alcohol outlets as reasons for the high number of alcohol-related incidents.

King urged local bars to refrain from offering drink specials that encourage excessive drinking.

King and other officers also stressed the importance of cultural change in reducing excessive drinking incidents. King raised the possibility of holding an "alcohol summit" with community leaders to examine strategies to combat the problem.

"We'd like to get to the point where there's less enforcement to do," King said.

Madeira said an increased cultural acceptance of "drinking to excess" has led to an increase in the blood alcohol levels of those prosecuted.

Diane Conrad, Ferguson Township police chief, agreed with Madeira, adding that another growing trend in recent years has been students getting drunk before going out.

"It's fine to go out and have a good time, but you don't need to get bombed to do that," she said. "We need to get the message out there that this isn't acceptable."

Officials also urged people to stop others from driving drunk, and call 911 if necessary.

"It takes the work of people within the community," Madeira said.