Boise State police issue 142 citations to tailgaters

ROBBY MILO/THE ARBITER Boise State fans play beer bong outside Spartan Stadium in San Jose last week. With hundreds of consumption tickets given out this season, fans are wondering what exactly the drinking rules are.

Bronco fans, beer and more than a hundred citations have students asking: What exactly are the drinking policies while tailgating?

Tailgaters and consumption tickets turned out in massive numbers for the Homecoming game Oct. 9 when the Broncos defeated the Toledo Rockets.

Officers issued 142 citations at the last home game according to officer Jermaine Galloway. The citations included four minor in consumption, 42 open container, 91 parking and five contributing to minor citations.

It’s understood that 24-hours prior to Bronco game days, blue and orange takes over the stadium parking lot as well as University Drive. RVs are parked bumper-to-bumper and tents mark their territory. But now, Boise city police say there’s confusion with what the drinking regulations are.

“The confusion is where students see folks drinking on the campus lots and think, ‘If they can do it, why can’t I drink 15 feet away from them?’” Lieutenant Tony Plott said. “We want people to be educated. We don’t want to just hand out tickets without them knowing the law.”

City and state boundaries cause alcohol to go from gray-area to guaranteed ticket

So what exactly are the rules and regulations?

According to Plott, there is a difference between city and state boundaries. City boundaries prohibit public consumption of alcohol altogether.

“In the city of Boise, we have an ordinance that you cannot have an open container in public,” Plott said. ”So you can’t just take a beer and walk across the street.”

Boise State is a state ordinance. State properties can determine whether they want to be under city ordinances or create their own policies. So Boise State is governed by campus policies.

According to the Student Code of Conduct, “A violation may include, but is not limited to, possession, consumption or distribution of alcoholic beverages.”

Wet or dry?

Students still ask the question: is Boise State a “wet” campus or a “dry” campus?

“It would be nice to be able to buy beer in the stadium and drink openly during the tailgates in the parking lot,” senior business major Dustin Atkins said.

Boise State is a dry campus. But on game day, tailgating fans say “Keep it in a cup.”

“The campus rules say that this is an alcohol-free campus but in the tailgating situation, as long as people don’t have a keg or can of beer, the campus has a relaxed stance on what they’re going to allow on game day,” Plott said.

As long as students stay in the parking lot and alcohol is not visible, students can generally expect to be safe from citations. Once you step off the grass and onto the sidewalk, city regulations are enforced.

Galloway explains that underage drinking is a big problem as well as people drinking in neighborhoods.

If you’re on the sidewalk with a beer, you can expect a citation.

Students can expect big fines for drinking

Students who are ticketed can expect fines of up to $300, court fees of $150 and a permanent misdemeanor on their record.

The Broncos’ next home game is Tuesday, Oct. 26. Kickoff against Louisiana Tech is at 6 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN 2. Tailgating rules will be strictly enforced.

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Posted by Marina Hunley on Oct 21 2010. Filed under Main Feature, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.