‘Don’t do anything illegal,’ officers advise students for Little 500

Little 500 weekend is notorious for a good bike race, good concerts and many arrests. This weekend, law enforcement will be taking extra precautions once again.\nBesides the usual IU Police Department security, Bloomington Police Department will have about 60 officers throughout the community. The Indiana State Police and Indiana State Excise Police will also be on location to assist with security and law enforcement issues.\n“We do the same kind of job and have the same function all the time,” said IUPD Capt. Jerry Minger. “More often than not, it’s people coming to events and making sure there isn’t conduct that can hurt people.”\nAbout 43 full-time IUPD officers and 30 cadets will be working this week with varied schedules, Minger said. Besides the race, officers will be at many events leading up to the Little 500 including concerts. Officers were also present at the Wednesday showing of the 1979 film “Breaking Away” in Dunn Meadow.\n“People are much more well-behaved at the race than the events that precede the race,” Minger said. “We do something different every day. Some will be easier to get in and out of, some will draw more people.”\nAbout 90 percent of the people who are taken to jail not only do something illegal, but also draw \nattention to themselves, Minger said.\n“If you don’t want to get arrested, don’t do anything illegal,” he said.\nDuring the race, IUPD has asked for eight BPD officers to help with interior security, traffic and crowd control.\n“It’s very similar to a football game,” Minger said. “We call in all personnel to work traffic and things. But football games don’t last as long.”\nBPD will focus on events happening off campus and will only have security on campus when its presence is requested.\n“Many of us have been doing this long enough that we know where to put the bulk of our resources,” said BPD Capt. Joe Qualters. “It’s safe to say that the preparations start way in advance for this event. We base this off previous years.”\nThe Indiana State Excise Police will also be in Bloomington. While BPD handles vandalism, fights, thefts and accident related injuries, the Indiana Excise Police will also be of help when looking for everything alcohol-related.\n“(Excise Police) primarily enforce alcoholic beverage laws,” Qualters said. “Their focus would be on underage drinking at the bars and underage purchase at the liquor stores.”\nResidential Programs and Services is also taking extra precautions in all dorms to ensure safety. All lounges and entrances that would usually be unlocked will be locked this weekend. All residents of dorm rooms are also required to register their guests for the weekend.\n“We have more focus around taking precautions,” said Bob Weith, director of residential operations. “Law enforcement and RAs will be very vigilant.”\nThe IU judicial system is also preparing for an increase in student arrests this weekend. The Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office has agreed to route all of its information on student arrests to the IU judicial system on the Monday following the Little 500.\n“On any other weekend, this may or may not happen depending on the circumstances,” said Dean of Students Dick McKaig. “It goes back to many years ago when there were more people in town and it became a growing concern that there was respect for the community and a concern for safety.”\nIn 1991, a riot broke out as a result of student parties, which is why this weekend has become a period of heightened security, McKaig said.\n“Consequences are the same as any point of the year,” McKaig said. “Some may suggest because of extra people we have extra law enforcement so we have more students in trouble. We also see people who make bad decisions who bring attention from law enforcement.”