Alcohol arrests up from last ISU-Iowa game

Kati Jividen

The football win against the Iowa Hawkeyes might have been good for Iowa State students’ morale but not for their arrest records.

Law enforcement officials reported that they were mostly pleased with the way students behaved after Saturday’s football game. However, arrests and citations for alcohol-related offenses were up 30 percent from the last time the Cyclones and Hawks faced off in Ames.

There were 65 total alcohol-related arrests and citations Saturday, compared to 50 on gameday two years ago.

The ISU Department of Public Safety, which works in conjunction with the Ames Police Department during football games, issued 40 alcohol-related arrests and citations on Saturday, in comparison to 17 on Sept. 20, 1997.

The DPS charges included OWIs, public intoxication and underage possession.

Sgt. Randy Kessel, public information officer for the Ames Police Department, reported 25 alcohol-related offenses on Saturday, compared to 33 two years ago. These offenses include public intoxication, consumption and underage possession, and they occurred throughout the city, he said.

“I think the numbers are a little higher [this year] because it was a night game, and people could party more beforehand,” said Ames Chief of Police Dennis Ballantine. “People are more in a party state of mind after a win than a loss, and there was nice weather.”

The nice fall weather and the 6 p.m. kick-off time made Saturday a perfect evening for football, but it also provided a perfect atmosphere for potential problems.

“We had the two biggest factors for problems — we won and the weather was good,” he said. “But the students conducted themselves relatively well. We had some intoxicated and some problems with noise and vandalism, but overall it went very well.”

DPS Director Loras Jaeger said the number of alcohol-related offenses doesn’t depend solely on winning, but on tailgating, which occurs before the game.

“What you’re concerned about after a big win is the fans’ response, and again, they acted responsibly,” he said.

Lot S1 had the largest number of alcohol-related offenses on Saturday, with 23 citations written for underage possession of alcohol.

However, for the most part, students were enthusiastic without causing too many serious problems, Jaeger said.

“It was a busy weekend, and it always is for an Iowa or Nebraska game,” he said. “We are grateful to the ISU fans for their enthusiasm and lack of serious problems.”