Madison police shut down 24 illegal house parties Saturday and heavily monitored popular student tailgating areas such as Breese Terrace and Regent, Langdon and Spring Streets.
At the Badgers football game, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department arrested 28 students and ejected 49, which is an increase from a similar night game last year. UWPD arrested 18 students and ejected 39 from a 2011 game against University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said no major crimes occurred, even with the first nighttime Badgers football game of the season.
“In terms of the overall safety of the city, I [would say it] was successful,” Resnick said.
The Madison Police Department increased the amount of officers patrolling around the stadium as part of a recurring fall initiative launched in response to students shifting from dorms to apartment life, according to Madison Police Department Lt. Dave McCaw.
MPD officers began patrolling Saturday at 8 a.m. and closely monitored streets near Camp Randall and UW-Madison’s campus on foot, on bike and by car, according to McCaw.
The additional officers responded to 24 house parties, including one party on Mendota Court where 25 to 30 packs of beer and 22 bottles of alcohol were confiscated, according to the Madison Police Department Central District Community Policing Team’s Twitter page.
“The ... purpose is to stay safe, so don’t let parties get out of control,” Resnick said.
In particular, parties at houses with balconies or in an area likely to attract police attention should be kept in moderation, according to Resnick.
Both McCaw and Resnick said students can avoid problems with police officers by keeping house parties small and under control.
“There’s a very strong balance the City of Madison Police Department attempts to try to strike with students,” Resnick said. “If you are drinking safely and responsibly...[the] police department will not be responding.”
The increase in police presence is also a result of escalating crime in the downtown area, including the attack on Badgers senior running back Montee Ball on Aug. 1 and a house party on Sept. 9 that turned violent when four men attacked two other men, according to McCaw.
