The Hanover police department and Safety and Security saw a slight rise in crime this Homecoming weekend.
There were 23 incidents involving the Hanover Police Department on Friday night, Hanover Chief of Police Nick Giaccone said.
Twelve students were charged with disorderly conduct, five were minors charged with possession of an illegal substance and one was charged with criminal trespassing and resisting arrest.
The remaining five were charged with intoxication, according to Giaccone.
On Saturday, Edmund Finnerty '05 was arrested at the football game against Columbia for rushing the field. He was charged with trespassing, Giaccone said.
Another freshman also rushed the field, but he was not apprehended.
Giaccone explained that the Hanover police who stand on the sidelines are told not to chase after students who rush the field, in order to avoid glorifying the rushers and "making a spectacle."
Traci Thibodeau of Safety and Security also said that the officers did not chase after students who rushed the field since they avoid touching students directly for safety reasons.
The number of arrests is a bit high compared with both Homecomings of the recent past and other major weekends, Giaccone said.
Last year, five students were arrested at the bonfire and 14 others were detained.
Thibodeau confirmed that Safety and Security was involved in more incidents this year than in the recent past as well.
Safety and Security dealt with 20 alcohol-related incidents this year, she said.
College Proctor Bob McEwen suggested that good weather might have accounted for the slight rise in the number of incidents this year.
"More folks were out and moving around because of the nice weather," he said, "but there's no real way to know why there are fewer incidents in one year than another."
During Dartmouth Night, one Safety and Security officer was assaulted by a student and hit on the chest and clothing was stolen from another officer, Thibodeau said.
There were approximately half a dozen incidents of vandalism this year, including windows broken because students could not enter dorms, according to McEwen.
Although safety concerns have recently brought the bonfire's future into question, McEwen said that the slight increase in incidents during Dartmouth Night do not warrant cancellation of the event.
McEwen said that while no bonfire will ever be perfectly safe, Safety and Security has made many noticeable improvements in security during Dartmouth Night over the past few years.
