A drop in arrests during this year's Homecoming festivities was offset by a rise in the number of incidents reported to and investigated by Safety and Security compared to the same period in 2001.
The Hanover Police Department confirmed 12 incidents involving arrests over the weekend, 10 of which occurred Friday night on the Green. In contrast, police made 23 arrests during the last year's Homecoming weekend.
One student was charged with simple assault, resisting arrest and obstructing government administration in an incident that resulted in injuries to a Canaan, N.H., police officer. Another student was charged with indecent exposure.
Four students were charged with disorderly conduct, another four face charges of illegal possession of alcohol, and one student was charged with both.
Another incident involved the arrest of an alumnus for driving while intoxicated.
All of this year's incidents -- except for one case of illegal alcohol possession -- involved male offenders.
Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaconne said the decline in arrests may have been due to the relatively small size of this year's bonfire crowd.
In addition, the weekend following the bonfire was unremarkable in terms of police activity or arrests. "If you took out the bonfire, it was an ordinary weekend," Giaconne said.
While Hanover Police enjoyed a less eventful Homecoming, Safety and Security saw increased incidence of vandalism, theft and other illegal activity compared to 2001.
According to College Proctor Bob McEwen, Safety and Security personnel were "engaged in 35 situations ... from inebriates to illegal possession of alcohol." The corresponding weekend in 2001 saw Safety and Security involved in 20 alcohol- related situations.
McEwen suggested this weekend's inclement weather was responsible for both the less disruptive bonfire crowd and the increase in other incidents.
"By 10 to 10:30 [p.m.], the Green was pretty well cleared. The weather was fairly brutal, and there was a lot of indoor activity," he said.
This year, Safety and Security received 80 reports involving damaged or stolen property during Homecoming weekend, up from 60 in 2001. Reports of vandalism over the weekend rose from four in 2001 to 11 this year.
Damaged College property included a broken keyboard in Novack Cafe and displaced ceiling tiles in the Lodge Residence Hall. McEwen also cited instances of broken windows and damaged lighting fixtures across the campus.
In a notable break with previous Homecoming weekends, no attempts were made to rush the football field during Dartmouth's game against Harvard. Of two students who made the attempt in 2001, only one was caught.
