State Patty's Restriction Efforts Pay Off
By: Mallory Lane
Updated: February 27, 2013
"I know they want to shut it down, but at the same time, I just feel like it's another weekend where people have a good time," senior Tyler Carroll said.
Carroll noticed a difference in this year's downtown population, but says the parties didn't stop.
"I think closing the bars kind of moved people out of the controlled area, so I don't know if that was a good or a bad thing," he said. "I really don't think it hindered any participation in State Patty's Day this year at all."
So did efforts to keep tabs on this year's festivities pay off? Survey says, they did.
"Overall, the numbers were down from previous years," State College Police Officer Mark Argiro said.
According to State College Police, the total number of calls for service dropped 21% this year, sliding from 412 total calls in 2012 to 327 in 2013.
Even the number of hospital incidents dropped. Officials at Mount Nittany Medical Center say this year, the total number of alcohol-related incidents was 43, down from last year's total of 54.
Despite this year's restrictions and closed bars, Penn State alum Justin Malament came back to State College for State Patty's Day, but he could tell a difference.
"The streets seemed a little more tame than normal," he said. "So that might be a good thing, I guess, for local business operators and for the university."
As for the future, local officials say they hope this year is a positive sign that the years of State Patty's Day may be numbered.
State College Police released these statistics for State Patty's Day 2013, measuring numbers from 6 PM Friday to 6 AM Sunday.
Total Arrests/Citations: 138, 2012 - 225
DUI Arrests: 4, 2012 - 14
Noise Violation Citations: 18, 2012- 24
These numbers do not include arrests/citations by other police agencies. Other police agencies on patrol for State Patty's Day 2013 include Penn State Police, Ferguson, Patton and Spring Township Police, Bellefonte Borough Police, Centre County Alcohol Task Force, PA State Police and Liquor Control Enforcement.



