Knoxville — A recent report by the TBI shows DUI arrests are up almost 60 percent on college campuses across the state.
A nearly 60 percent increase sounds like a lot, but Knoxville attorney Steve Oberman said the TBI numbers don't tell the full story.
"When you're dealing with such small numbers, the percentages can be very deceiving," Oberman said.
He said even adding a small number of arrests can make huge percentage increases.
The TBI's Crime on Campus report, released last week, found UT had 41 arrests last year compared to 13 in 2016.
UT Chattanooga had 9, MTSU had 16, and Vanderbilt had 9.
"We're dealing here with what was it, 41 arrests on UTK's campus? Probably during football games," Oberman said.
Oberman said more law enforcement at football games probably caused the increase in DUIs on campus across the state last year.
"A lot of those people are enjoying a tailgate, and they make poor decisions to drive home," said Knox County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Tim Belcher.
Belcher agrees -- there are usually more DUIs during sporting events.
While TBI numbers show campus cases are up, Oberman sees a different trend statewide.
"Overall, DUI arrests are down across the state," Oberman said.
Oberman believes that's because fewer officers are out there looking for impaired drivers.
"I think that's due in large part to reduced funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on DUI focus, on DUI patrols," Oberman said.
That agency provides more than $500 million to states across the nation, but Oberman said that's been reduced in Knox County in the last 18 months.
"Almost immediately after the grant money was reduced, the number of DUIs was reduced," Oberman said.
The Knox County Sheriff's Office said the Tennessee Highway Safety Office gives it a $75,000 grant each year to handle overtime and equipment for DUI enforcement.