The Madison Police Department held a press conference Thursday to discuss safety and staffing plans ahead of the Mifflin Street Block Party on April 28.
During the press conference, MPD Central District Captain Michael Hanson said the department will follow the same footprint as last year’s event, with over 150 police officers present and drones to monitor safety.
“For months, we begin planning for this event and copious amounts of resources are available to make sure it is a safe and, for the people attending, fun event,” Hanson said.
Police will also monitor other, nearby college housing areas including Fahrenbrook Court and College Court, Hanson said.
Students are encouraged to seek help from police if confronted with a dangerous situation. If underage students have been drinking and need help, the police will address health and safety concerns immediately, and underage drinking will be addressed later, according to Hanson.
“The last thing we want is somebody to be scared to talk to the police or worried to talk to the police if there is something that we need to be alerted to,” Hanson said.
Despite assurance, students worry approaching the police due to the chance they could get in trouble for underage drinking.
University of Wisconsin student Anna Syltie said she may resist reaching out to the police knowing there could be repercussions.
“If it was a genuinely scary situation where I felt like I was in danger or one of my friends was in immediate danger, then yes, I feel like I would,” Syltie said. “But knowing that there are potential repercussions, I feel like there’s a potential that I wouldn’t reach out for help.”
Though UW has a Medical Amnesty Through Responsible Actions program, amnesty only applies to citations handled by UWPD. The policy does not offer amnesty for violations handled by MPD, according to previous reporting from The Badger Herald.
During the press conference, Director of City of Madison Building Inspection Matt Tucker discussed the risk of overcrowding on balconies at the Mifflin Street Block Party. While building inspectors have gone to most houses on Mifflin Street to identify unsafe balconies and porches, the houses they did not inspect are being asked to rope off balconies.
The Madison Fire Department has also been notified of incomplete safety inspections to ensure those houses’ balconies are not occupied, according to Madison Fire Marshal Bill Sullivan.
“We’ll make sure that they follow through and those decks and balconies are not occupied,” Sullivan said. “We will be out there with MPD to make sure that housing and decks are not overcrowded.”
Residents on Mifflin Street were informed of porch and balcony policies during move-in, UW sophomore and Mifflin Street resident Bella Gonzales said. Gonzales confirmed a building inspector checked their property to ensure there was no damage.
Police have been informing residents they will be responsible for crowds and damage to the property, Gonzales said. With this knowledge, Gonzales and her roommates plan to have someone stay at the house and monitor crowds when they leave. They have also established other plans in case someone does enter their house.
“We’re putting all our valuables into our extra room and locking the extra room, so just in case there is any random person we don’t know in our house,” Gonzales said.
