Last week, a man flagged down a Casper police officer because he was "lost."

He told the officer he wasn't sure what he was looking for, though, and had just drank "a lot of beer" at a bar on CY Avenue.

Stumbling and slurring with bloodshot eyes, according to the officer, he was arrested for public intoxication.

Going to jail would be better than going home, the inebriated man said, because his wife would've "kicked [his rear]" for drinking too much.

He was arrested and charged with public intoxication, one of an expected 850 public intoxication arrests this year.

Though nobody within city government denies a pervasive alcohol problem in Casper, opinions on how to deal with it are widely varied.

Ward 1 Councilman Keith Goodenough has targeted the public intoxication law as one particular area that causes more harm than good.

"I think when you're arresting people for walking home you're promoting drunk driving. In a larger sense, you're more visible when you're walking. Not very many people walk," Goodenough said. "That's counter-productive."

Over the past couple weeks, Casper police have arrested a man who was suicidal, another guy passed out with his legs wrapped around a gas station toilet, and another man who was sleeping it off on a ramp at 1:30 in the afternoon.

One couple was arrested two days apart from each other, then arrested together two weeks later.

Casper Police Chief Tom Pagel defended the city's policy of arresting and incarcerating offenders, though, and called public intoxication a major public safety issue.

The topic of alcohol abuse is one that lingers with the city council and has been tied to discussions about liquor licenses, prevention programs, social services and the municipal code.

Pagel said that the city's residents have a casual attitude toward alcohol that contributes to the large amount of public intoxication and driving under the influence arrests.

"The underlying issue here is [that] we have an alcohol problem in Casper. We have too many drunk drivers, a casual attitude towards alcohol, and our intent of any number of programs is to decrease drunk drivers and encourage responsible consumption," Pagel said. "Those are the underlying tones to anything we're doing here."

In 2004, Casper police made 370 public intoxication arrests. Pagel projected police would make about 850 arrests this year. After suspects are arrested, they're transported to the detention center and appear before a court the following day or on Monday if the arrest occurs on a weekend.

"Some of those people are a threat to themselves or others. Those are obvious. But the guys walking home three blocks or ten blocks, leaving cars behind ... it just is counterproductive to punish people for doing the right thing as long as they're not causing any other problems," Goodenough said.

Goodenough has also used the likely departure of Pagel for a federal post as an opportunity to raise the issue with council members, saying the department has a "body count" mentality that encourages more arrests instead of less.

Goodenough said his end goal is to change the municipal code to include the language "a threat to self or others," language that is currently not part of the law.

Though Pagel said that is the standard officers follow, Goodenough said it would increase the burden on officers who would have to prove that the suspect was a danger.

"[There are] almost 800 people a year being arrested for public intoxication," Goodenough said. "I do not believe 800 people are a threat to themselves or others."

The matter would be discussed at a council work session with various city officials and community activists before any policy would be put forth in a council meeting.

You can reach city reporter Pete Nickeas at pete.nickeas@trib.com or (307) 266-0639. You can read more about Casper politics and government at http://tribtown.trib.com/redtape

Alternatives

At a work session earlier this year, Pagel outlined different options used in other parts of the state that could be brought to Casper, such as a "tipsy taxi" service that would shuttle people around town.

The program would allow bars and taverns to dole out "vouchers" which would be given to taxi drivers, who would then be reimbursed by the agency overseeing the program. Pagel said the program should be running before the holidays but couldn't pin down a date or say who would oversee the program.

"Your bar owners and/or managers and tenders who recognize an individual who has potentially had too much to drink, or if someone finds themselves in that situation where they've had more than they intended to, it gives them an opportunity for a ride home at a minimal cost," Pagel said.

A temporary program was used last year but Pagel said he would like a permanent program. He's working with the Natrona County Liquor Dealers Association, who helped with funding last year's temporary program, to make it permanent.