Crime was relatively light over Spring Fling weekend, despite large crowds and nonstop partying across Penn's campus.
"It looked like the vast majority of people were well-behaved and had a good time," said University Chief of Police Tom Rambo. "Fling went very well this year. It was extremely well-organized."
Despite this, there were several student arrests and other incidents.
One of the biggest was a theft that occurred at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house at 3940 Spruce Street at approximately 1:15 a.m. Friday. Four males whose affiliation with the University is unknown were "found exiting from the rear of the building" carrying stolen property. They were arrested and required to return the stolen property, according to University Police Sergeant Larry Salotti.
The four suspects allegedly removed several cell phones and wallets as well as a digital camera from six people inside the house.
Police also broke up numerous parties on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Just after midnight on Friday, about 5,000 people were dispersed from the 3900 block of Baltimore Avenue, where students had gathered for a block party, without incident. According to Salotti, those dispersed were "either out disrupting traffic or [incurred] noise complaints."
University Police were also out in force on Saturday night, "still closing parties at 3 a.m." Salotti said.
Still, Rambo said that in comparison to previous years, "there weren't a significant number [of parties] that got out of hand."
Salotti echoed Rambo, calling this year's festivities "quieter than most [Spring Fling] weekends in the past."
Throughout the weekend, University Police escorted six people to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Five were found unconscious or vomiting due to alcohol consumption, while one female student was given medical attention after using "contraband substances," according to police reports.
Police records also showed that Liquor Control Enforcement officers issued only four citations for underage drinking early Sunday morning, marking a sharp decline from previous years. Last year, the LCE issued 11 citations, and in 2001, 31 students were cited for drinking violations.
There was also an incident on Saturday afternoon in which a residential adviser confiscated a keg and approximately seven cases of beer from a dorm room in the Quadrangle.
Police also saw three incidents of disorderly conduct by Penn students. A male student was arrested on the 3900 block of Spruce Street at approximately 12:30 a.m. Friday, and two male students were cited for throwing bottles onto Spruce Street at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Despite widespread littering, significant vandalism in the Quad was also minor, with only one reported incident. On Saturday, someone punched a hole in the wall of a Ware College House hall.
