Get the Cops Out Of the Shops

"Cops in Shops" places undercover police officers in and around liquor stores in order to arrest minors attempting to illegally purchase alcohol. The first two weeks of the program's operation have resulted in the arrest and conviction of two Harvard students. The underhanded and arbitrary nature of the program, the questionable allocation of manpower that it demands and the inappropriate motivation for this sudden crackdown all lead us to condemn this latest measure from the Cambridge Police Department (CPD).

The "Cops in Shops" program is underhanded. Police officers pose as store clerks, shelf-stockers and customers while waiting for an underage person to attempt an alcohol purchase. The idea of undercover police officers camping out in convenience stores is disturbing in and of itself. Further, rather than identifying fake ID's and making their arrests based on that offense alone, the cops allow the illegal purchase of alcohol to take place so that they can tack on further charges. This seems to serve no purpose other than increasing the severity of the punishment that victims of the sting receive.

The "Cops in Shops" program is arbitrary. Currently, 32 Cambridge liquor stores participate in the program. The Cambridge License Commission uses a lottery system to select sting targets on a given evening. Those unlucky individuals who are caught by the program face the harshest of consequences, but it is their poor luck alone that accounts for their special fate. Countless minors continue to purchase alcohol unobstructed. Granted, the example of others may serve as a deterrent, but there are far more just ways of enforcing the law. If the CPD wishes to crack down on the illegal purchase of alcohol, they should focus the brunt of their efforts on the adult proprietors of the 32 liquor stores, not errant 15-year-olds looking to buy some beer. If the CPD makes it clear to local stores that violation of the law will not be tolerated, they will have greater incentive to closely inspect ID's, and minors will be refused service. The goals of the CPD can be achieved without sending young students to jail.

The "Cops in Shops" program represents a questionable allocation of time and energy. Every police department must prioritize the fulfillment of its duties. While the "Cops in Shops" program does represent the enforcement of a legitimate, though misguided, law, it is inappropriate in its use of resources. Cambridge is far from devoid of violent crime. Officers would better serve the community strolling ill-lit Linden Street late at night rather than playing clerk behind the cash-register at Christy's waiting for an 8-year-old to try to buy beer.

While local universities have recently seen several alcohol-related deaths, most notably the tragic death of MIT first-year Scott Krueger, these were a result of unsafe party and fraternity environments, rather than underage drinking. Laws governing the purchase of alcohol have been around for quite a long time. Never before has the CPD exhibited such zeal with regard to their enforcement. If the problem of underage drinking had worsened recently, this might be understandable. "Cops in Shops" is a crackdown that is not justified by any real threat to public safety.

We hope that the CPD discontinues the "Cops in Shops" program. If nothing else, it is excessively hostile to Harvard students, the likely victims of such sting operations. The CPD should devote its resources to keeping the streets safe for all Cantabrigians. The underhanded "Cops in Shops" program devotes too much effort toward putting predominantly decent kids in jail for trying to buy booze. The recent implementation of the "Cops in Shops" program at various liquor stores in Cambridge disappoints and angers us greatly.