The Madison Police Department (MPD) will add a new policy on April 22 which will prevent underage individuals who call 911 in an emergency from receiving a citation for underage drinking, provided certain conditions are met.
The policy, titled “Amnesty Through Responsible Action,” which is similar to University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department (UWPD)s amnesty policy, states that citations for underage alcohol violations in the City of Madison won’t be issued if certain conditions are met.
Citations for underage alcohol violations wouldn’t be issued to callers and victims who request medical assistance as long as the caller remains with the victim and cooperates. Additionally, if the impaired individual is a victim of a crime, a citation for underage drinking would not be issued.
The policy doesn’t apply if contact is initiated by emergency personnel or to other violations which may be occurring at the same time.
District 8 Ald. MGR Govindarajan told The Daily Cardinal the goal for the policy is to make city and campus policy more aligned.
“We want to make sure that the policies are somewhat similar from campus and off campus, especially when it’s just mostly impacting students,” Govindarajan said.
Penalties for possessing or drinking alcohol while underage and not at a “licensed premise” can range from $187 to $313 for the first offense, including a possible license suspension for 30 to 90 days. Fines can increase if that individual is within a licensed premise, such as a bar.
University Health Services states that their data shows 37% of UW-Madison undergraduates drink at high-risk levels. Furthermore, 10% of undergraduates have physically injured themselves while drinking.
“There is a lot of hesitation [to call 911] sometimes, especially with underage students. That’s a big fear for people,” Govindarajan said.
The policy, which has been in discussion for a couple of months, was created in conjunction with the Madison and UW police departments, Govindarajan said.
MPD officers will receive training on the new policy after it is implemented on April 22.
Drew Wesson is a staff writer and photographer for The Daily Cardinal. He has written stories covering public safety, protests, political events and more. You can follow him on Twitter @drewwesson1.
