Area law enforcement agencies and University of Illinois officials urged safety and responsibility for the annual “Unofficial” St. Patrick’s Day event, held in the campus area of the University of Illinois on March 6, 2015. Routine bar checks, canvassing of campus, and wellness checks of participants were some of the proactive measures Police took that contributed to this year’s decrease in arrests and medical calls associated with the drinking-promoted event. All together, 138 city ordinance violations were issued, down from the 271 issued in 2014.
Of the ordinance violations this year, 65 were directly related to three underage drinking parties; 5 individuals were arrested on state criminal charges and transported to the Champaign County Jail; medical personnel responded to 13 calls for service; and 8 individuals were transported to local hospitals for alcohol incapacitation issues.
“Of course, we’d like to see these numbers decreased even more,” shared Lieutenant Jim Clark. “However, they are down from last year and we’re happy to report that there were no significant injuries reported this year” he added. Lt. Clark contributed the decrease in criminal offenses and medical calls both to the cold weather and the safety campaign on campus. Alcohol safety and responsibility efforts from the University and Police were substantial and included the door-to- door “Walk As One” event, resource mailings to over 20,000 students, the University’s online “Rethink the Drink” campaign, and police safety presentations to sororities, fraternities, and student groups.
Patrol leadership for Unofficial was provided by the Police Departments of Champaign, University of Illinois, Urbana, Parkland College, Illinois State, and the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Illinois Liquor Control Commission. The attached spreadsheet identifies complete arrest data for Unofficial 2015.