Zero Tolerance On OSU Campus Continues

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Central Ohio law enforcement will continue their zero tolerance policy during this year’s Ohio State football games.

Last year, the City of Columbus filed 337 underage drinking charges with a conviction rate of 95 percent.

This year, Columbus police plan to be out in full force again, striving for more guilty pleas and convictions for crime on campus, NBC 4’s Lauren Diedrich reported.

"Football tradition, as wonderful as it is, does not include burning campus to the ground if you win or lose, which is what we were having and the problem was excessive amounts of drinking," said Assistant City Prosecutor Bill Hedrick.

Police are gearing up to combat the issue using extra enforcement on Saturday, along with mounted patrols and undercover officers to catch underage drinkers.

Of the underage drinking charges in 2007, nearly half of the arrests were Ohio State students.

Hedrick said the decrease in problems is directly linked to tough enforcement.

"First, we haven’t had any really bad incidents on campus since zero tolerance," Hedrick said.

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