Underage drinking violation 

At approximately 11 p.m. on April 5, an officer was conducting vehicle patrol along Garfield Avenue. The officer approached the Garfield Avenue hill and stopped for a group of pedestrians, noticing one of the individuals holding a blue and silver can. 

The individual crossed in front of the car and he seemed to hide the can behind his leg. The officer, noticing its resemblance to a beer can, turned his squad car around to make contact with the individual. 

The individual identified themselves and the officer inquired about the object he was hiding behind his leg. Without further questioning, the individual revealed an open can of Michelob Ultra beer. The officer further inquired about the amount of alcohol the individual had consumed. The individual admitted to having a couple of drinks.

The officer returned to his squad car and conducted a check on the individual verifying they had no wants and were not on probation. The officer then issued a citation for underage drinking/possession alcohol 1st offense. 

The officer warned and educated the individual about the campus ordinance related to open containers of intoxicants. After handing the individual an Eau Claire County Ordinance-Related Programs Pamphlet, the officer ended contact. 

Broken elevator

At approximately 3:09 p.m. on April 6, an officer received a call on the primary squad phone from the on-duty custodian. The custodian explained to the officer that Elevator Car D in the Davies Center was frozen on the second floor with the doors stuck open.

Upon arrival, the officer located the aforementioned elevator and began inspection, verifying that it was in fact Car D that was malfunctioning. Soon after, the officer spoke with a building staff member to ensure that signs would be put up to spread awareness. 

The officer then shut down power to the elevator and made attempts at shutting the elevator doors, which were ultimately unsuccessful. Despite the doors being unable to close, caution tape was applied to the doors along with an out of order sign to notify those attempting to use it. 

The officer then informed the on-duty custodian of the situation and cleared the area. 

Traffic violation

On April 5, an officer was traveling along University Drive when they observed a vehicle stop in the lane of travel at 600 Hilltop Circle. After halting for a brief moment, the vehicle continued forward against traffic in the one way.

After the officer noticed, they conducted a traffic stop and explained the reason for the stop. The driver pointed out the lack of marking that it was a one way lane of travel. The officer explained that there are two signs which delineate the fact that it is one way, along with yellow painted arrows on the pavement. 

Returning to their squad car, the officer produced a citation for driving against traffic. The officer returned to the stopped vehicle, and provided the citation and explained why. The driver continued to say that the citation was unfair, noting that they were driving carefully.

This exchange regarding the justification of the citation between the officer and driver went on for several minutes. The officer stopped the conversation and cleared. 

Verville can be reached at [email protected].