UI police spokesman: Unofficial was ‘manageable’
March 9, 2015
No major incidents were reported during this year’s Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day, said Patrick Wade, spokesman for University of Illinois Police Department.
The cold weather hindered many people from spending too much time outside, which likely contributed to fewer accidents than previous years, Wade said. The day began at minus 9 degrees, and rose up to around 25 degrees. The police generally thought students behaved and acted responsibly, making Unofficial a reasonable day.
“Overall, I think it was a very manageable day” Wade said. “I think people who participated heard our message, which was ‘if you’re going to participate, that’s fine, but keep it safe and responsible. Try to keep the problems to a minimum.’ And I think that’s what we saw.”
The Champaign Police Department and the Champaign County jail said they will release reports concerning Unofficial sometime after Monday. The Urbana Police Department said only Champaign will release reports for all police departments who participated in enforcing Unofficial to avoid confusion.
The Champaign Police Department’s police blotter said 40 notices to appear and one arrest was issued on the 900 block of South Second Street around 3 p.m. Friday. The report stated an Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day apartment party yielded minor in possession notices to appear and a liquor sales to minor charge.
