“We are cognizant that there may be a multitude (of students) out and about celebrating that day,” Chatman said. “As a result we will have added officers in the neighborhood area.”
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Chatman would not say just how many officers would be on duty for “strategic” reasons. But, he said it would be enough to help protect students as they celebrate.
The extra scrutiny around St. Patrick’s Day at UD in part stems from a disturbance involving more than 1,000 people on the holiday in 2013. After more than two decades without a St. Patrick’s Day incident, the 2013 disturbance left broken beer bottles and 11 damaged cars, including a police cruiser, on Kiefaber Street, a university official said at the time.
“What I’m finding is that many students aren’t aware of what occurred,” Chatman said. “We celebrate the fact in all of our large gatherings that we’ve had — since I’ve been here — the students have acted appropriately and I think there’s a greater emphasis on students looking after students and learning to advocate for one another.”
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St. Patrick’s Day in 2017 was noticeably quieter at the University of Dayton than in previous years.
UD Police issued 18 alcohol-related citations on the holiday last year. Combined, UD Police police and state agencies issued a total of 23 citations for underage drinking, public intoxication and open container violations, according to the university.
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