Patrick McHugh's thought that the Indiana State Police (ISP) should ignore underage drinking until all the felonies are solved is just another manifestation of the old "oh, it's just alcohol" philosophy ("Rearrang-ing priorities," Sept. 24).
McHugh is absolutely right that the protection of life and property should be the primary focus of the State Police, but it is disconcerting that he doesn't see that this certainly includes situations like this.
Let's remember that the ISP were called into this situation because the party was disturbing other residents of the neighborhood, so these students did it to themselves, and were not the victims of some random act by the police.
In addition, people who drink in off-campus situations often become people who drive after drinking. As someone who lost his mother-in-law because of a drunk driver, I applaud the ISP responding to this situation in an appropriate fashion.
Underage drinking is in fact a serious problem when statistics clearly prove that drunk driving is the leading cause of death for those under 21, and further show that those under 21 are responsible for half of all drunk driving fatalities. So, just maybe, we should be thanking the ISP for doing their duty and protecting all of us (including any potential underage drinker-drivers from themselves).
Rick Klee
alumnus
Class of '74
Sept. 24
