More robberies, more drug arrests, official says

Does law enforcement in Columbia focus more on underage drinking than other crimes? Are bar raids necessary?

I don’t think the police are out to get students by any means — they are out to enforce the law. Unfortunately, sometimes I really feel as if the strategy for law enforcement in Five Points is based on a high-profile show of overwhelming force in one location as a means to discourage crime. That strategy doesn’t work. There are less arrests for “alcohol violations” in Clemson, Athens and Charleston, and I feel like each town implements a more constant and proactive enforcement strategy. They arrest people at roadblocks outside of the drinking districts, have strict open-container laws and routinely use horse patrols and other street methods to discourage crime.