IUPD officers handle fewer Little 500 cases

IU Police Department officers handed out 19 arrests and 23 citations this weekend, a tall drop from the last four years. IUPD made 125 arrests and wrote 76 citations during Little 500 weekend last year.\nIf last year's charges were a can of beer, this year's total would only amount to two-and-a-half ounces. \nThe mostly alcohol-related cases were counted from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Sunday. \nIUPD officer Ian Lovan said unusual occurrences are the norm during Little 500 weekend.\n"I can't even remember all the stuff that happened," Lovan said. "There was a guy in a dress running down the street. I thought that was pretty weird."\nLovan was on the scene when one person was charged with public intoxication after falling out of a trash can Friday night outside Kilroy's on Kirkwood, according to the IUPD arrest log.\nOf the 42 total charges, 10 were simultaneous illegal consumption citations issued at Teter Quad Friday night. \n"All in all there weren't any incidents that got out of hand," said IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger.\nAbout 30 additional arrests were made Thursday night, but the numbers were still low, Minger said.\n"I was actually kind of shocked the numbers were as low as they were," Minger said. "There was a greater potential for higher numbers."\nMinger said nicer weather traditionally translates into more people outside and consequently more arrests. The high temperature for the weekend was 79 degrees Fahrenheit with no precipitation.\nIUPD Sgt. Don Schmuhl said there might have been fewer out-of-towners in Bloomington this year. \n"Perhaps the word is getting around that this is not the place to come to drink if you're underage," Schmuhl said.\nMinger offered several reasons to the low arrest numbers. IUPD received fewer noise complaints, resulting in fewer runs to house parties. He also said the media has been more "community conscious" this year, leading to an environment where people know what the police are cracking down on. \n"Do we know there's going to be drinking? Absolutely," Minger said. "But what we always hope for is that the community in general is starting to maybe take our words a little more seriously."\n-- Contact Senior Writer Rick Newkirk at renewkir@indiana.edu.