Excise officers issue 157 tickets, IUPD issues 117 tickets

During a weekend that is known for heavy partying, Indiana State Excise Police issued 157 tickets to 125 people between Thursday and Saturday.

The IU Police Department issued 117 tickets for 69 people between Friday and Sunday.

Excise officers mostly issued tickets for alcohol offenses, particularly illegal possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Indiana State Excise Officer Travis Thickstun said most of the tickets were issued at common hot spots around campus, like apartment complexes where there were large parties, bars, and liquor and grocery stores, he said.

Last year, excise officers issued 202 tickets, and in 2007 they issued 103.

“This particular Little 500 weekend was pretty consistent with what we’ve seen in previous years,” he said.

IUPD Capt. Jerry Minger also said this year’s Little 500 was fairly normal.

IUPD had all of their officers working throughout the weekend. This includes 44 full-time officers, 50 part-time officers and about 26 cadets.

“There are so many events that have to be staffed, so we have to have everyone working or there wouldn’t be time to rest,” Minger said.

Indiana State Excise Police had several dozen officers working in Bloomington during Little 500 weekend, Thickstun said.

“Excise officers from several districts focused their attention on Bloomington this weekend, when alcohol violations are historically high as a result of IU’s Little 500,” Thickstun said in a press release.

Officers also issued tickets for possession of marijuana, reckless possession of paraphernalia, resisting law enforcement, operating while intoxicated, furnishing or providing alcoholic beverages to a minor and public intoxication.

The majority of tickets issued by IUPD were for drunkenness and illegal possession.
Other tickets issued were for marijuana possession, resisting law enforcement, disorderly conduct, paraphernalia, drunk driving and false identification.

Those who received tickets appeared at 8:30 a.m. Sunday in the Monroe County Circuit Court. Most of them spent the day doing community service and attending an alcohol awareness class.

The charges will be dropped from offenders records if they do not get into trouble with the law for one year, Thickstun said.

Many people arrested this weekend are visiting for Little 500 and are otherwise not affiliated with IU, Thickstun said.