Police were out in full force this weekend. And with them? Alcohol Law Enforcement, or ALE.
ALE is a state-wide branch of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Lt. Cyndi Ring of the Elon Police Department says ALE is "charged with all alcohol laws of North Carolina. So, the transportation, the selling, the underage possession...tobacco, some firearm stuff, gambling," Ring said.
ALE officers go undercover to discover those drinking underage, and to determine who is selling to minors.
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Some students think that the force is out to get them, but Lt. Ring said that isn't the case.
"ALE does not call us up and go hey, let's have this huge operation where we target students, and we're going to come in and do this. It's always a join operation."
Students took to Twitter last weekend to warn others.
One student tweeted, "Everyone at Elon be careful, ALE are out in full force," and another "If you're at Elon University and out and about tonight, watch out for ALE and Elon PD. Apparently, they're everywhere, and on bikes. Be Safe."
Senior Megan Alexandria understands that ALE is out to protect the community, but in light of a recent encounter, thinks they could be a little more respectful while doing it.
"[The officer] was really, really rude, and kept shining his flashlight in my face. He kept snatching my ID and stuff from me," Alexandria said.
"I don't care," Alexandria said, "they have a job to do. Granted, it's not ideal for college students, but it's I think it's just about doing it properly"