Report says alcohol arrests up in Iowa City

Law officers in one of eastern Iowa’s college towns report a significant rise in alcohol-related offenses. The Iowa City Press-Citizen says arrests for underage alcohol possession doubled from 2001 to ’02. That increase joined a rise in arrests for public intoxication, disorderly conduct and disorderly house violations, most of which, police attribute to 18-to-20-year-olds. Overall, Iowa City police saw a 33-percent rise in arrests last year from the previous year — and that’s after city leaders banned drink specials in 2001 and took on more power to suspend or revoke alcohol licenses. One thing that didn’t see a big jump during the time period is drunk driving arrests, which fell in Iowa City from nearly 11-hundred to 925 last year.