More Police on Patrol for UMD Move-In Weekend
Posted at: 08/28/2012 6:21 PM
| Updated at: 08/29/2012 1:05 PM
By: Allie Delury
Thursday afternoon marks the start of move-in weekend at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. But at night, some students partake in a different kind of welcoming ceremony.
"It's one thing to drink in your own property, but when you start spilling out in the sidewalks and the streets and the alley's then it become a violation of the law," said Community Officer Russ Bradley.
This year, the Duluth Police Department received a $4000 grant from the Invitation Health Institute in order to increase security and prevent a variety of different nuisances:
"Drinking in public, urinating in public, underage consumption, people walking around with open containers of alcohol, and different inappropriate signage that they post up in different houses," said Bradley.
This is the first time Duluth police have received this grant, and that money will focus on adding four officers a day on campus, and off campus near Woodland Avenue and 21st Avenue East.
Last year, Duluth and University of Minnesota-Duluth police issued 64 citations during move-in weekend alone.
"It's kind of unfortunate for neighbors that have to clean up their yards after what happened a few doors down," said Bradley.
The Woodland area is in the heart of off-campus housing for students. Police say they've had concerns with inappropriate signs and underage drinking in that area while freshman are moving in.
"By noon 1, 2, 3 o' clock, all the freshman start coming to that area at least on move-in weekend and it's like the place to be," said Logan McLean, a 5th-year student at UMD.
This time last year, Kurtis Moody was a freshman. He says there are lessons to be learned from move-in weekend.
"Just be smart about where you go and who you're with and what you're doing," said Moody. "Just be smart about it and you should be fine."
Lessons that students may now learn the hard way.
"I can see if it's needed, but sometimes [police should] just let them be."
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