IUPD says weekend not big deal

Some local police officers are preparing for a busy Homecoming weekend while others are not as concerned about an increase in this weekend's activity. \nWith alumni expected to significantly add to the already growing tailgating crowd, Indiana Excise Police will patrol the city during the weekend and the Bloomington Police Department is expecting an increase in activity. But the IU Police Department is not worried about campus activities getting out of hand, officials said.\nIf history is any indicator, tailgating will not be any rowdier than most home football games, said IUPD Capt. Keith Cash.\nIUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said University police will not be increasing its numbers at tailgating, nor did he expect arrest numbers to be different from most weekends on campus. \n"This is not an atypical weekend," Minger said. "The number of arrests seems to have more to do with the weather than it being Band Day, Homecoming or Parents Day."\nA representative of BPD said it is expecting an increase in activity. Likewise, Indiana Excise Police will patrol the city during Homecoming weekend, looking for alcohol violations such as public intoxication and underage drinking. \nHomecoming is a typically popular weekend for excise, since it combines a high concentration of people, a high probability that alcohol will be consumed and a high number of young people, said District Sgt. Terry Bauer, adding that special events like Homecoming bring out a special kind of behavior in people.\n"They do things during those events that they wouldn't necessarily do during the year," Bauer said. "They think that since they're part of a large crowd, they're anonymous."\nAbout a half dozen excise cops will patrol the town, some in uniform and some in civilian clothing, Bauer said.\n"Generally speaking, the way you're going to meet an excise cop is if you're doing something wrong and you're drawing attention to yourself," Bauer said. \nHe added that examples of such suspicious activity include "if you look 15 and you're holding a can of beer," or "if you're standing by the trees screaming at the top of your lungs." \nBauer said avoiding such behavior is one way students and residents can avoid arrest during the weekend.