MIPs – Does any one even know what they are?!?!?!

MIPs.

Some may think this is an acronym for Men in Pink or Marriage is Popular, but for those who have broken the law, it represents something of a more serious nature: heavy fines and possible jail time.

A minor in possession is a Class B misdemeanor issued by police officers to underage individuals for either illegal use of alcohol or tobacco. Most alcohol-related MIPs issued at Utah State University happen between the beginning of school until about November, Lt. Steve Milne said.

“Usually, it’s the younger students’ first time away from home, not under mom and dad’s control, so they go out and exercise their freedom and choose to drink alcohol,” he said. “Our job is to enforce the laws.”

Younger people are at more risk when consuming alcohol, said Capt. Dave Tarbet, administration division commander at the Logan City Police Department.

“A lot of young people don’t have the discipline to manage their drinking because it reduces a person’s inhibitions,” he said. “The major thing is that at the younger age . . . many of them just don’t know how to control themselves when they drink or the amount they drink.”

However, some students feel there is an unnecessary force and high frequency in which MIPs are issued. Alex Goyzueta, a sophomore at the University of Utah, has received multiple MIPs.

“The unnecessary force is my problem [with police officers issuing MIPs] – the fact that they are out hunting for them, literally, I mean hunting for [minors drinking],” he said.

It is against the law for minors to drink, but in every incident he has received an MIP, Goyzueta said it has been in a non-public, non-violent situation. These examples leave Goyzueta questioning whether or not police officers could be spending their time better elsewhere.

“If I’m in the privacy of my home getting drunk, what’s it to you?” he questioned. “Considering it is the law, I don’t know any better ideas about going about [deterring minors from drinking].”

However, an officer’s concern isn’t limited to minors using alcohol, but they are also weary of what it can lead to. There are a lot of secondary issues that come from alcohol use such as violence, sexual assault and destruction of private property, Milne said.

Last year there were 28 citations for minor in possession issued, 16 of which were between Aug. 1 to Oct. 5. In comparison, during the same time period, this year there have been 11 citations issued, Milne said, slightly down from last year.

Logan City police received reports of 114 incidents involving minors and alcohol from April 4 to June 26, Tarbet said. In September alone there were 23 incident reports, which may or may not include multiple people, he said.

What does an MIP entail for the law breakers?

“The old days everybody was booked into jail,” he said. “But now, because of overcrowding, more serious offenses go down there.”

Instead, officers rely on issuing misdemeanor citations. After a citation is issued, the individual has the option of signing the citation, which is a written agreement that they will appear in court, Milne said. Refusal to sign results in jail time.

Appearing in court, the individual has the option to plead guilty or not. A not-guilty plea results in a trial, Milne said. However, if the individual pleads guilty, the judge will decide – based on the number of prior offenses the individual has – what the penalty is. The maximum penalty for a Class B misdemeanor is up to $1,000 and a six months in jail.

However, the average fine for a MIP is $460, Milne said.

While these fines appear steep on a college student’s budget, the money doesn’t all go back to the police department. Funds collect by MIPs go to the state, courts and police departments, Milne said.

-kcashton@cc.usu.edu