Metropolitan Police Department Officers arrested 22 underage individuals at local Georgetown bars last Thursday, many of whom were Georgetown students.

The arrests were made as part of a routine check on liquor licenses performed by MPD on random occasions, according to Lt. Robert Contee, head of Police Service Area 206, which includes the Street commercial district.

The Department of Public Safety also stepped up on-campus patrols in an effort to reduce underage drinking. DPS could not provide statistics about on-campus alcohol violations during the weekend. Local television news stations, including NBC and FOX, reported that the university has stepped up its enforcement, though.

According to Contee, police arrested 14 people at Chadwick’s on K Street, five at Champions Sports Bar on Wisconsin Avenue, two at Rhino Bar and Pumphouse on M Street and one at The Tombs, on 36th Street. All were charged with underage possession of alcohol. None of the 22 arrested had used false identification, according to Contee.

“They all had alcohol when we went in,” Contee said.

The arrests were part of what Contee called the Partnership for Problem Solving Initiative. He said the community and the police began the initiative to help reduce crime and other problems in the Georgetown community.

“We’ve been targeting [underage drinking] for a few months,” he said.

Of the four bars in PSA 206 that were investigated, only Chadwicks’ owner could be reached for comments. He said he knew of the 14 arrests, but declined to comment on the arrests or the policy at his establishment. Messages were left with the Tombs, Rhinos, and Champions, Monday evening, but none returned the calls.

The arrests were made independent of a program MPD announced in late January called SUDs, or Stopping Underage Drinking. In a Hoya article, (“MPD Targeting Local Bars”, Jan. 26, pg. 1 ) Lieutenant Patrick Burke said the SUDs program would feature four initiatives to enforce underage drinking laws.

The program places undercover officers as bouncers at local area bars where they will check identification. They use “Intellicheck” ID-checking technology, which identifies false forms of identification, Burke said.

Under the SUDs program officers would also perform spot-checks at bars with 18-and-over specials aimed at attracting students. The officers will not be positioned at the entrance but instead inside the establishment in these cases.

None of the four bars where arrests took place last Thursday permitted anyone under 21 from entering the bars.

Students found in violation of liquor laws can face a $300 fine and be detained by MPD officers. If arrested with false identification, individuals can be charged with possession of false identification that can bring additional penalties.

“The raids on bars in Georgetown was completely unfair. The police knew a lot of students would be there celebrating because we won the game … and the police took advantage of that,” Brian Conologue (COL ’04) said.