The Eau Claire Police Department more than doubled the number of alcohol citations issued this year from last, community relations officer Jack Corey said, although, students’ activities hadn’t changed.

There were 207 citations issued, including arrests, during the homecoming weekend, Corey said. The number easily surpassed last year’s total, which was around 80, he said.

“Overall, I don’t think we saw anything really different,” Corey said. “We weren’t going to let things get out of hand this year.”

The number appears inflated compared to last year’s because the police were stricter than before with the open container law, he said.

Junior Matt Elliott, 20, received one of the 127 open container citations, which carry an average fine of $193. The police, he said, seemed to go “out of their way” to issue the citations.

“During the parade, they were asking people for their IDs,” Elliott said. “(Having an open container) is not endangering anybody. You have a right to have any beverage in your hand.”

On campus, interim director of University Police David Sprick said they didn’t have many problems with homecoming. In terms of alcohol, University Police issued one citation for an open container and 15 for underage drinking.

“It was a fairly manageable homecoming,” Sprick said. “We’re pleased with how things went on campus.”

Corey said the open container law refers to any open or previously opened container on public property. If someone put alcohol into a McDonald’s cup, he said, that would be considered an open container.

The only real problem the police had during this homecoming came during an incident between the 600 block of Water and Menomonie street, said Deputy Chief of Patrol Brad Venaas.

Venaas could not release the report to The Spectator because the case is still under investigation; however, he described the event from information in the report.

Venaas said an officer severely twisted his knee after tackling a man who tried to run following police questioning. The man was pepper sprayed first, he said, and later tasered before being taken into custody.

The man had given the police false identification as an officer prepared to issue an open container citation, he said.

“I think people understood that their behavior wasn’t going to be tolerated,” Venaas said. “and they (the police) dealt with it.”

Jodi Thesing-Ritter, associate dean of student development and diversity, said the increased enforcement from the police helped make homecoming successful for everyone involved.

“(The enforcement) is good for our students … it encourages them, if they see a police officer, to think twice about the choices that they make,” she said. “We want them to make good choices.”

Bill Harms, associate vice chancellor of student services, said he will host a meeting next week in the Hilltop lounge to evaluate this year’s successes and failures. The time and day of the meeting is still pending.

“I think people will talk about how homecoming was a success this year,” Harms said. “I witnessed a lot of people having a lot of fun.”