Representatives of the Champaign and University police departments discussed their preparations for Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day on Wednesday morning.
Assistant to the Chief for Community Services Rene Dunn, Champaign Police Lt. Brad Yohnka, Patrol Division Commander for University Police Lt. Skip Frost and Champaign Police Sgt. Scott Friedlein spoke at the Champaign Police Department.
“There has been a recent change in our city ordinance with regard to throwing things off balconies,” Yohnka said. “In the past we had to be able to identify exactly who threw the item. Now, we can also charge the actual residents of the apartment that it came from, which gives us a whole lot more leverage.”
One of the changes made from last year will be a new emergency ordinance by the mayor prohibiting package liquor stores from opening before 11 a.m. on Unofficial, Friedlein said.
The police also emphasized the importance of keeping interruptions out of the classroom.
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“If you want to take the day off classes and have some drinks if you’re of age…great. That’s your choice,” Frost said. “But what you will not do is mess with the academic mission of the University. Anyone who is caught doing that will be dealt with pretty harshly by the Dean of Students Office.”
The panel also emphasized the importance of not hesitating to call 911 if someone needs medical attention.
“If someone needs medical assistance we don’t care if you or they are underage,” Frost said. “Please do not hesitate to contact us. We don’t want anyone in physical distress and us not know about it. The last thing we want is a tragedy related to this event.”
The police have created their own Facebook page called, “Official Public Safety Page on Unofficial,” which outlines ways to celebrate Unofficial safely and responsibly.
The police have monitored Facebook closely, and are expecting upwards of 18,000 visitors from out of town this year.
Last year nearly 70 percent of citations and arrests were issued to people from out of town, including students from 56 different colleges in 12 states, according to the panel.
