BERKELEY NON-STUDENTS SKEW DRUG, ALCOHOL STATS

UC-Berkeley police attribute Cal's high ranking in a national survey on
college drug and alcohol arrests to all the non-students busted in People's
Park and on Telegraph Avenue.

According to a survey to be released Monday by the Chronicle of Higher
Education, an independent newspaper that covers higher education,
UC-Berkeley led the nation with 193 drug arrests in 1996.

In alcohol arrests, UC-Berkeley ranked second nationally with 523. Michigan
State University led the country for alcohol violations in 1996, with 574
arrests.

"We're concerned people will read that in the paper and think Berkeley is
out of control," said Lt. Adan Tejada of the UC-Berkeley Police Department.
"The vast majority of these arrests are non-students," probably 85-90 percent.

According to the report -- an annual survey of crime at 500 of the nation's
major colleges and universities -- there were 16,237 alcohol arrests in
1996, up from 14,759 the previous year, and 7,060 drug arrests, up from 6,725.

Tejada did not have a breakdown of Berkeley's 1996 numbers available on
Sunday. But he said that in 1997, his department made 175 drug arrests. Only
22 of those arrests -- all misdemeanors -- involved students or employees.

"Most of these arrests are non-UC-affiliated," Tejada said. "Many of these
are part of our joint enforcement program with Berkeley (city) police along
Telegraph Avenue and People's Park.

"This is a large urban campus, so we're going to have higher numbers than
many other colleges. In fact, the reported crime on campus itself is much
lower than the urban area around it."

The Berkeley central campus extends only as far south as Bancroft Avenue.
But many of the student dormitories, fraternities, sororities and other
housing is off campus near Telegraph or College avenues. University police
patrol the south campus area along with city cops.

For years, both agencies have also cooperated in a crackdown on crime in
People's Park, which is owned by the university but is jointly administered
with the city of Berkeley. There has been a special focus on small-scale
drug dealers frequenting the park.

©1998 San Francisco Examiner