University police cited more than 75 people for alcohol-related violations between last Thursday and Monday, 55 of them for minor consumption of alcohol.

Most of these tickets were written Thursday through Saturday, when University police took part in Operation NightCAP (Concentrated Alcohol Patrol) Junior.

In Mankato last weekend, NightCAP Junior patrollers wrote 240 underage consumption tickets, said Dick Smith, law enforcement liaison in the Department of Public Safety, which funds the program.

“I was glad to see low numbers for the ‘U,'” he said.

The Hennepin County Violations Bureau said a ticket for minor consumption or minor possession costs a first-time offender $105.

Smith said some minors in Mankato were cited twice for minor consumption at different times during a night. The second ticket will cost those people $327, he said.

University police Capt. Steve Johnson said the number of tickets given is similar to past grant-funded alcohol patrols. The number of citations could have been more, he said, but some officers chose to inform students of the dangers of alcohol instead of giving them a ticket.

NightCAP Junior is comprised of five extra University police officers and state troopers and aims to look specifically for alcohol-related violations.

The 78 citations at the Twin Cities campus do not include those given by state troopers.

NightCAP Junior resumes tonight and will continue through Saturday.

– Tim Sturrock