East Lansing police are going to have to walk a fine line if the department moves ahead with plans to send plain-clothed officers into off-campus parties.

The department is planning to make its presence felt at more parties this fall by sending officers in street clothes into large gatherings, all in an effort to curb underage drinking, assaults, date rape, larcenies and other behavior associated with drunkenness.

Police say their plan is to have officers hand out pamphlets detailing rules residents should follow to avoid city violations.

And for those parties that might be violated city rules, plain-clothed officers are set to issue warnings to party hosts before uniformed officers are called to issue tickets and disperse guests. Residents who do not comply with the police warnings will be issued citations.

But while this procedure has the potential to greatly improve relations between students and city police, it could easily turn into an intrusive and counterproductive practice if police turn the effort into an undercover sting program.

Irresponsible drinking is a dangerous reality at college campuses. In October, the body of Bay City resident Eric Blair was found in the Red Cedar River four days after he attended a party in East Lansing.

The 18-year-old had consumed enough beer to have a blood-alcohol level of .14. The legal driving limit is less than .08.

If these plain-clothed officers work with party hosts and only issue warnings as East Lansing police say they plan to, this program could go a long way to prevent such tragedies.

But if this program turns into an undercover sting operation, where police are busting students left and right for supplying alcohol to minors or other illegal activities, the effort will result in a further breakdown of student-police relations.

Plain-clothed officers must be sure to identify themselves appropriately as police and must not invite themselves into parties looking for law breakers. Students’ Fourth Amendment rights should be fully respected.

Police-student relations have come a long way from where they were when riots broke out downtown. This effort must be executed carefully to prevent moving that relationship back.

Police should be aware their plain-clothed party-going could easily be perceived as an overexertion of power.

Students still have a bad taste in their mouths from MSU police’s recent undercover investigation of a campus activist group. University officials first claimed their investigation also was motivated by a concern for student safety.

Officials later said the investigation was related to the New Year’s Eve 1999 arson in Agriculture Hall.

East Lansing police are careful not to use the word “undercover”to describe their efforts, and we hope that never becomes an appropriate description for this program.

But police need to be cautious, too - they could easily slip up and be guilty of deceiving the people they hope to help.