IUPD ready for Little 500

As the 60th annual Little 500 approaches, the IU Police Department will be in full force.  Officers stress that although they will prioritize law enforcement of criminal activity, they will not be more lenient in making arrests.

“It is a universal effort put forth by the school and the police departments,” IUPD Lt. Craig Munroe said.

IUPD’s 44 full-time officers, along with about 35 part-time and auxiliary officers, will be on patrol during the events throughout the week. The department has restricted officers’ days requested off.

“We are not going to be any more lenient,” Associate Dean of Students Carol McCord said. “We are not going to be harsher, we are going to follow the law and University policy.”

She said when the weather is pleasant, there are more students outside being more “public about their behavior.”

“We only have so many officers and we will all be working,” Munroe said. “We’ve done this for years; we have to be out there.”

Munroe has been with IUPD for about 30 years and has experienced numerous Little 500 events as an IUPD officer. He said he believes that in recent years, students and spectators have been more appropriately behaved than decades ago.

“I was here during the ‘Breaking Away’ movie; crowds really peaked when that came out,” Munroe said. “I think things are pretty well maintained right now ... I definitely don’t think it’s getting any worse at all.”

Associate Vice President for Assurance and Public Safety Mark Bruhn said IU and the IU Student Foundation are jointly assuring that there will be an ample amount of officers and ushers to accommodate the large crowd at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

He insisted that even though sufficient authorities will be in place, it is not his intention to interfere with the spirit of the race or the engagement of students with their teams.
McCord said the goal is for students to enjoy themselves, but safety is priority.

“The Dean of Students office and all of the deans will be around all weekend, we will be working during the race and participating in the fun,” McCord said.

McCord urges event attendees to be neighbors to one another and enjoy “good-natured competition.”

“We remind people to have a good time but not to have fun at the expense of someone else,” McCord said.

Munroe suggested keeping a low profile and not going too crazy.

“If you go out, go out with some good friends, don’t get into binge drinking and don’t drink so much that you bring attention to yourself,” Munroe said.