Hundreds of intoxicated Penn students parading through West Philadelphia in costume may seem like a recipe for disaster, but officials say the Halloween weekend brought few disturbances to campus.
Though a certain number of problems are expected during any party weekend at Penn, this weekend "saw no difficulties at all," said Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey.
Dorsey said that police had no problems related to parties -- including the group of registered Greek parties on Spruce Street -- and that everyone seemed to be having fun and exercising good judgment.
"I was glad to see people walking around in groups having fun; there were no stragglers," Dorsey said.
He said that students were even stopping to talk to the officers, whose presence on campus was noticed by students.
Six students were hospitalized for alcohol-related reasons, Dorsey said. Four of those incidents occurred Thursday night, and the other two happened over the weekend.
Dorsey, who just completed his first full year on the Penn Police force, was unfamiliar with Halloweens of years past and could not compare this year's numbers to previous years.
The first weekend of New Student Orientation in September -- another popular time for partying -- saw 11 cases of alcohol poisoning, the Division of Public Safety reported.
Penn Police tried to create the impression that they were on every street corner in order to deter crime.
The measures taken included extending hours for police officers, increasing the night shift by an entire platoon -- which can include anywhere from eight to 20 officers -- and assigning some officers double shifts.
"I want to stop crime from happening in the first place," Dorsey said.
Dorsey praised his officers' dedication, saying that many volunteered for double shifts and checked in with superiors even when they were off-duty.
"Everything that makes it possible to make a safer environment, we're doing," Dorsey said, adding that "this weekend was a really good weekend" in terms of crime.
College senior Eric Tal said that he noticed the increased security when he went to parties on Spruce Street Saturday night.
Tal added that while he wasn't personally worried about his safety to begin with, the extra security made many people feel a little safer.
"With people that are more concerned [about safety], I could see how that would be reassuring," he said.
InterFraternity Council President Spencer Scharff said that Team Sober -- a group of student alcohol monitors who work to ensure the safety of their peers -- also did its part to keep students safe.
"Overall, it was an extremely successful weekend," the College senior said.
"We attribute that success to the concept of registering parties and the over 60 members of Team Sober" who monitored student traffic flow at parties, looked for signs of extreme intoxication and communicated with each other using radios.
Scharff estimates that Saturday night's "L-shaped block party" on Spruce Street drew more than 1,000 students.
Tal said that this Halloween was different -- and better -- from past years'.
"I just enjoy Halloween here," he said. "For some reason, it's an event that brings out a lot of students that won't usually come out, sort of like Spring Fling in a way."
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