Mayor Dave Cieslewicz plans to outline a general strategy today for managing Halloween crowds, citing bar closing times as a lingering sticking point in the plan.
\If this were an ideal situation, there would be no pepper spray, no need for riot gear, no injuries, no property damage and an orderly dispersal,"" Cieslewicz said.
According to Cieslewicz, the Madison Police Department will employ previously used tactics with several additional provisions, including flexible barriers and additional officers. Cieslewicz added that he does not anticipate any substantial changes to his plan.
Cieslewicz said he met opposition from Madison-Dane County Tavern League leadership on his request that bars close early but said individual downtown owners have been receptive to city plans.
After the violence of past years, Cieslewicz said he is approaching the event with cautious optimism. Public tolerance and goodwill for the event is running dry, he said.
""For those who want Halloween to continue, they must take a role in seeing that it goes well,"" Cieslewicz said.
Daylight savings time will come out of effect Saturday night, giving bar owners a potential extra hour to sell, but paying officers overtime would cost an already strained city budget.
According to Cieslewicz's Business and Legislative Liaison, Mario Mendoza, over a dozen State Street bars have been given approval from fire marshals to usher patrons out rear exits.
Cieslewicz called for the placement of flexible fencing sites at strategic intersections. Like last year, the MPD will appropriate the University Inn, 441 N. Frances St., as a command center, enforce a glass ban, deploy mounted officers, and use high powered lights.
Cieslewicz said crowd influxes from University Avenue will be checked at Frances Street with flexible orange construction fencing intended to open and close accordingly to prevent ""gridlock"" on the 500 block of State Street.
To address the problem of out-of-town students with no stake in the community, Cieslewicz said he will launch a website to combat misinformation, continue his policy of opposing bands from playing during the festivities, and support the UW-Madison decision to forbid guests from staying in dorms.
Mendoza said UW-Madison is engaging in ""outreach"" to both UW System schools and Big Ten universities to inform other students of penalties for breaking the law in Madison.
Lieutenant Bill Larson of the University of Wisconsin Police Department said UW police will work closely with the MPD.
""We will be doing everything we did last year, trying to encourage people to make this a local event, not a regional event, and continue on those paths,"" Larson said.
