Going out with friends on the weekend and hitting up a bar for a $5 beer is the norm for many students at the University of Wisconsin, but a $172 underage drinking citation isn’t often accounted for on the night’s tab.

In fact, over the past year, underage citations violating liquor laws have increased dramatically at a few well-known downtown establishments, including Ram Head Rathskeller and Johnny O’s Restaurant and Bar.

According to police records, while the citations at Madison Avenue and Church Key Bar have quadrupled since 2008, those at Johnny O’s and Ram Head have completely skyrocketed.

Between January 2008 and April 2008, the Madison Police Department issued three citations at Johnny O’s. So far in 2009 MPD has issued 53 citations at Johnny O’s. Ram Head saw an increase from six to 29 in the same time periods.

So, why such a huge increase in citations, and why only at certain bars?

Madison Police Department Lt. Dave McCaw, a former Community Policing Team sergeant, said policies have remained the same. However, he added the CPT recognizes underage patrons frequent particular bars when they think police won’t be performing compliance checks and thus adjusts for those fluctuations.

“The contacts at the bars have not changed; it’s merely how many people are there underage, and the only people that have control over that are the people drinking and the bar,” McCaw said.

Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, said he thinks just like students are aware, police are also cognizant as to which bars are the easiest to frequent. But Eagon added he thinks the amount of compliance checks and the number of CPT officers in the bars could be reexamined.

Eagon added he hopes the MPD and students can create a more positive working relationship in the future.

“We need a two-way street where students can go to police when they are in trouble or need help and police can go to students when they’re interested in information or want some input,” he said.

Ram Head owner Dick Lyshek agreed with Eagon. He added he thinks the CPT’s “aggressive nature” has actually alienated the student population.

“The ultimate goal of trying to create a safe community is community policing and getting the people that live in the community to help the police,” Lyshek said. “But what has happened is directly the opposite. [The CPT] has done more to harm the safety of the downtown than it has to enhance it.”

Lyshek said the CPT could be much more effective if they would make “quick” rounds through the bars to ensure they are “safe, not overcrowded and patrons aren’t passed out or puking.”

“You can do a quick walk-through, say hello to students and greet them, shake a few hands, and move on to the next bar,” he said. “But, if you pull an underage drinker out of there, how long does it take to process that one [patron]? You could go through three other bars by that time.”

McCaw said underage patrons must recognize they are breaking the law when entering a liquor establishment, and the MPD is only doing its job by practicing a “zero tolerance policy.”

He added making contact on the street is necessary, especially after the incident in June 2007 when UW-Whitewater student Kelly Nolan disappeared with an unknown man after a night of drinking downtown.

Downtown bars could see non-renewals

With so many issues concerning underage drinkers, fights and other compliance problems, MPD has decided to file proceedings requesting the non-renewal of several downtown liquor establishments’ licenses.

According to Alcohol Policy Coordinator and Alcohol License Review Committee member Katherine Plominski, an announcement was made at the last ALRC meeting in early April that three or four establishments would be called before the committee due to the MPD’s appeal.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, an ALRC member, said the proceedings filed by the MPD are unprecedented. But he added separating out certain establishments for non-renewal consideration before license renewals occur is not uncommon.

The ALRC will hold a meeting May 12 to hear the non-renewal actions being presented by the MPD, Verveer said, citing if the licenses are not renewed the bars would be forced to stop serving alcohol as of July 1.

— Kevin Bargnes contributed to this report.