Police arrest more than 400 during Halloween weekend

Despite an extensive planning effort, police were again forced to use pepper spray Sunday morning to disperse a crowd of rowdy Halloween revelers.

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz suggested that additional community input was needed on whether the event could be safely staged again in the future.

“When we spend approximately $350,000, when 447 people are arrested, when detox is filled, we can’t characterize this as a successful event,” Cieslewicz said in a statement.

Approximately 100,000 people were estimated to have attended the celebration on Saturday night, up from a relatively calm crowd of 20,000 on Friday night.

More than 120 of those arrested or cited by police were immediately identified as UW–Madison students, with most related to alcohol use, according to Madison Police statistics.

The Offices of the Dean of Students will review every case of student criminal behavior for possible application of nonacademic misconduct under UW System Administrative Code, Chapter 17. In particular, ODOS will target any student who engaged in violent criminal action for sanctions ranging from reprimand to expulsion.

Interim dean of students Lori Berquam said that the university took steps to localize and downsize the event by attempting to discourage out-of-town visitors, restricting guests from University Housing and limiting parking.

Housing reported few problems, and the guest policy was extremely successful in limiting problems in the residence halls, she said.

Chancellor John Wiley praised the efforts of police, emergency personnel and staff from ODOS and housing, who worked through the weekend to provide support and presence to help ensure students stayed safe.

“Their hard work minimized problems and is truly appreciated by the entire campus community,” Wiley said.