On Little 5, 'anything can happen'

Ever since the riots at the Varsity Villas apartment complex in 1988, Little 500 has gained a reputation for not just being "The World's Greatest College Weekend," but also the busiest for the IU Police Department. With many out-of-town visitors traveling to Bloomington for the event, IUPD increased its forces for the weekend, eliminating all days off and putting two officers in each of the six cars, instead of the usual one per car. With all of IUPD's preparations for the weekend, the IDS sent a reporter and photographer to document the action. \nSunday 12:08 a.m. -- 10th Street and Jordan Avenue\nOfficers James L. Snyder and Andy Stephenson begin their shift by answering a call of an accident in front of Wright Quadrangle. A red Trans Am with a headlight popped out rear-ended a red Dodge, which in turn hit a white van. \nThe victims wished to handle it themselves without filing an accident report.\nSnyder said Little 500 weekend is usually full of car accidents, because of the influx of out-of-towners flooding the roadways.\n12:12 a.m. -- Kirkwood and Indiana Avenues\nSnyder and Stephenson pull over a silver Pathfinder after the car goes the wrong way down Indiana Avenue. Stephenson steps out and asks the girl if she has been drinking, and she said she has not. She is released.\n"Obviously a lot of people are here from out of town," Snyder said. "They're dangerous drivers, I tell you."\n12:19 a.m. -- Dunn Street\nA bunch of students celebrating on their porch yell at the police car as it drives down Dunn Street. One couple makes out while leaning against the house and others raise their plastic cups, giving each other high fives. Police slow down but move along.\nStephenson said he lets incidents such as those slide, even though they know there is probably underage drinking occurring.\n"You have to pick your battles," he said. "With all that's going on this weekend, you can't waste your time on little things when there are more important issues to attend to."\nSnyder explains that on this weekend, the goal is to find people who are "attracting attention."\n"We are looking for people who are endangering themselves or others," he said.\n12:30 a.m. -- 10th and Grant Streets\nWhile driving down 10th Street, Snyder spots a young man losing his balance as he walks. They quickly turn around the car and approach the man. The 25-year-old is asked to walk a straight line. He fails. He is breathalyzed, and the police determine he is intoxicated.\nThe police cuff him. The young man pleads, "At least I wasn't driving."\nAnother car pulls up to take him away.\n1:09 a.m. -- Parkview Apartments\nSnyder and Stephenson see four Indiana State Police cars with lights on and officers approaching a house. They ask the officers what's going on and are told that a party is being busted for underage drinking. Seeing there are enough officers there, they continue driving.\n1:15 a.m. -- Parkview Apartments\nSnyder and Stephenson speak to a Bloomington Police Department officer who tells them there has been a report of young men with necklaces who have been grabbing women as they walk by. Moments later, two officers approach two young men with necklaces about two houses away. One of the young men, wearing a blue jacket, throws a plastic bag he is carrying on the ground and starts running. Snyder and Stephenson burst out of their car, and the young man is grabbed by the arm before he can get away. \nPolice examine the bag and find marijuana. \n"Why did you just run? Did you just throw that dope?" Snyder asks, pointing to the bag.\nThe young man denies ownership of the narcotics, saying he has no idea where it came from.\nAs they search the young man who ran, Officer Snyder then asks the second young man, in a red jacket, to place his hands on the hood of the car. After asking him three times to put his hands on the car, Snyder finally grabs him by the arm and leads him to the car.\n"I can tell my seven-year-old something once and he does it," he said.\nThe man in the red jacket replies that he did not know Snyder was talking to him.\n"I have A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder)," he said. "I don't know what's going on."\nHe is later released as police place handcuffs on the man in the blue jacket. \nThey warn the man in the blue jacket that he has prior drug convictions, which will mean extra trouble. Before they leave, his friend approaches the cops, inquiring if he can ask a question.\n"Can I get the money he owes me before you take him away?" he asks.\nThe cops laugh and proceed in transporting the offender.\nSnyder and Stephenson said the evening was not as difficult as years past. They said they didn't have to deal with much out of the ordinary. \n"It isn't as exciting as you might think," Snyder said. "It's not like the TV shows."\nSnyder said part of this is because of their preventative patrol method of filling the streets with officers. Stephenson said most students get the idea that the IUPD cracks down on crime hard during the Little 500 weekend.\nStill, Snyder said the increased patrol is very necessary.\n"You never know what to expect," he said. "This is one weekend of the year when anything can happen"