The activities on Welch Avenue are a familiar weekend scene.

Hordes of anxious, beer-thristy students wait in line for hours to pay to be in a hot, dark, crowded bar. They laugh and scream at anyone walking down the street – bouncers, friends, police officers.

Ames police officers know the scene all too well, but they never have to wait in line to get into the bar. A grant allowing officers to focus on underage drinking in the bars allows them to enter bars and ask for identification of anyone who looks suspicious or underage.

“We are looking for alcohol, and other things fall into our lap,” said Tom Shelton, Ames community resource officer. Shelton is frequently on patrol for the grant, which includes money to pay officers overtime to focus on underage drinking during prime times, usually the weekends, starting on “thirsty Thursday.”

“We’re not out to pick on people,” Shelton said. “We are just trying to enforce the law.”

The program allows officers to enforce the law in various inconspicuous ways, including driving undercover cars, staking out parking lots where people typically make alcohol exchanges and making guest appearances in Campustown bars.

Most of the time, however, officers don’t have to worry about sneaking around to get what they want.

“We don’t have to look for suspicious people,” said Officer Harry Samms. “People want to be statistics.”

“[People] have to draw attention to themselves,” Shelton said.

Several instances reinforce this, such as the two men cited for public urination, a $50 fine.

One guy even mastered the ability to pee while walking forward. Another stumbles in front of a car and almost gets hit. Officers later arrest him for public intoxication.

One underage girl tries to run out of a bar when the officers arrive and runs up Welch Avenue, screaming to the officers about her innocence and accusing them of invading her privacy. Another girl at the same bar tries to avoid the police by making out with her boyfriend.

Both girls were cited for being a minor on premises.

While giving citations, officers get something in return – harassment from bar patrons.

They give the officers the finger, make pig snorts, yell derogatory remarks, whistle cat calls, make blatant comments.

Officer Andy Metcalfe laughed out loud and pointed at one guy after the bars closed on March 8 when the student realized two “pigs” were in the unmarked car.

Usually the officers take these remarks lightly and laugh about them in the office.

One guy asked Shelton if he had been beat up as a kid.

“No. Not that I can remember,” Shelton replied. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

The police officers working bar patrol are not out to find just anyone walking, or crawling, the streets who may be acting a little goofy.

Keeping their youth – as well as their jobs – in mind, the officers offer a few suggestions to avoid an unwelcome citation.

“Don’t bring your friends to buy beer,” Shelton said.

“Don’t lie,” Samms said. “The thing that pisses us off the most is when people lie to us, because we are going to find out who they are in the end anyway.

“And don’t run from us.”