The “DC CARES” initiative against underage drinking was out in full force again last week, and as students and residents of D.C., we ought to be asking our police a serious question. How does the Metropolitan Police Department justify their use of significant police resources and manpower to catch underage drinkers, while more than 1,500 homicide cases remain unsolved in D.C., according to The Washington Post?

It is time for the police to refocus their efforts on crimes that have a more serious human toll – assault, robbery, rape and murder – not underage drinking, something that poses comparatively little threat to the community.

-Justin Parady
sophomore