Poor weather and increased police patrols meant a relatively uneventful Spring Jam compared to years past.
Although the weekend saw more than the average amount of alcohol-related incidents, no particular problems arose, University of Minnesota police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner said.
Minneapolis and University police gave out at least 13 alcohol-related citations over the weekend on and near campus, including four DWIs and nine underage drinking citations.
Two of the underage drinking incidents occurred in residence halls — and both required medical attention because of the individuals’ “extreme levels of intoxication,” according to police reports.
Police heavily patrolled campus and nearby neighborhoods for alcohol-related incidents over the weekend.
Miner said there was “a bit more activity than a typical weekend would be, of course because of Spring Jam.”
But he said University police didn’t see any major problems and he was “very pleased” with how the weekend went overall.
Friday night, University police hosted the Operation NightCAP — “Night-time Concentrated Alcohol Patrol” — a targeted event where extra police officers patrolled on and around the University for alcohol-related incidents, Miner said.
Minneapolis police contributed extra officers to the area over the weekend, as well as additional mobile cameras in Dinkytown, Minneapolis police Sgt. Steve McCarty said.
“I think it turned out to be a pretty successful event,” McCarty said.
The state provided a grant to fund Operation NightCAP for Friday night, which paid for 25 extra officers from other Hennepin County jurisdictions, Miner said.
He said the increased number of officers and the dreary weather contributed to a Spring Jam weekend that was “a bit quieter” compared to recent years.
The number of officers working in the area was similar to the numbers in 2010 and 2011, when increased Minneapolis and University officers patrolled in the wake of the 2009 Spring Jam riots, Miner said.