Drop Your Cups for Undercover Cops

Being a freshman and moving away from home is already stressful enough. It’s the first time to prove your independence, live on your own, and on top of that make new friends and do well in classes. It’s a lot to ask for from new adults. Everyone can think back to their first days as a freshman; it’s absolutely terrifying. 

On September 2nd, “38 students received citations from the town of Elon police. These students were cited for underage drinking and open container violations, resulting in 47 charges.”

Many students on campus have reported that they have noticed an increase in the police presence on campus. Many police cars are stopped in parking lots or driving up and down the streets.

The police have begun to drive around in undercover cars,  dressed as college students in order to lure drunken students to them and even accuse the sober. One student reported that a cop stopped her and her friends purely due to the clothes that they were wearing, not because of any type of inappropriate behavior.

Out of the students who received citations that weekend, a high percentage of them were freshmen.

One freshman said, “I was walking with a group of people and undercover cops in a Jeep pulled us over and tricked us into getting breathalyzed.” Being a first-year student on campus is scary enough, especially since most freshmen are still incredibly young and vulnerable. Being threatened by police is especially scary. That group of students each received citations and court hearings scheduled over the next two months. Some people were stopped because they were holding cups, which the police tested for alcohol. Others were just walking down the street, with no alcohol, and no indication that they were even intoxicated yet were still breathalyzed. 

Multiple other students have also expressed their concerns that the heavy police presence and large amounts of citations can frighten students into committing more crimes in the town. These students were caught being responsible and walking to parties, rather than driving themselves or getting in a car with an intoxicated driver.

Making sure that everyone is safe should be the top priority of the police, not stopping kids on the street for holding Starbucks cups. People may resort to these dangerous options in order to save themselves the risk of getting a citation or upsetting their parents. 

We encourage you to stay safe and abide by the law, but also keep in mind that you are being monitored, and sometimes your best interest is not the police's priority. Make sure you and your friends are looking out for each other.