On Deputy Chief Skip Frost’s desk sits a thick document detailing the “game plan” for the consolidated efforts of University, Champaign, Urbana and Illinois State Police departments to manage Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day on Friday.

“I enjoy cold beer and good times just like everybody else,” he said. “But what I see worries me greatly because of the level of intoxication.”

With an understanding that many students will participate, the police force has created a social media campaign to tweet safety tips.

“We’re not the no-fun police, we’re most focused on safety,” Frost said. “It’s not a contest to see how many citations we can write or how many arrests we can make. It’s all about safety.”

As a father of three, Frost said he’s starting to look at Unofficial through the eyes of a parent.

“I wouldn’t want to get that call,” he said.

In fact, Frost said the police departments’ main focus is to keep the event safe and under control. He said many drinking tickets issued on Unofficial are not usually the main reason police intervene.

“If you want to partake, that’s up to you. You’re a an adult,” he said. “But if you’re going to do it, don’t invite ‘that guy’ or ‘that gal’ who you know is going to be a problem.”

Frost said it doesn’t really bother him that students skip class as long as they drink responsibly. He said those students aren’t the ones who are confronted by police.

The biggest problem for police, he said, comes from out of town guests who come down expecting a big party. Each year, around 65 percent of all tickets are issued to non-University students.

Corinne can be reached at [email protected].