An increased presence of police officers in downtown Madison Labor Day weekend helped the Madison Police Department make 157 arrests over the four day period for a wide variety of local ordinance and criminal offenses. The nearly 200 hours of officer overtime was part of MPD's Downtown Safety Initiative Special Operations plan, which ran over the four consecutive nights from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. "We're creating a much more peaceful, fun environment for everyone to enjoy," said Central District Operations Lieutenant Joe Balles. "By all accounts right now, it appears to have been a much safer weekend downtown than in past weekends with the first hometown football game." A news release from the MPD stated that 65 of the arrests were violations for illegally dispensing liquor. These offenses occurred at eight different house parties within the campus area, ranging in size from 40 to 100 attendees. Although the majority of the arrests made at house parties were University of Wisconsin students, less than 50 percent of all other arrests in the State Street, Langdon Street and University Avenue area were found to be UW students. Over 30 percent of the arrests were older adults, alumni or out-of-town visitors. "I want people to know that when you guys go out downtown, it's just not UW students everywhere," Balles said. "There is a whole host of other people who are attracted to that area, and sometimes students are easy prey." Balles said the police department was able to afford this new safety operation because of the $100,000 put aside by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz for downtown safety initiatives. Throughout Labor Day weekend alone $10,000 of those funds were spent. "We spent a lot this weekend really trying to make a statement," Balles said. "We want the students to know that we're going to be down there on Friday and Saturday nights." Balles emphasized students must also take responsibility for their own safety. "It's really imperative that UW students be cognitive of their own personal safety," Balles said. "Use the buddy system, and for God's sake drink responsibly." Balles said he plans to continue the increased presence of officers in the downtown area on weekends throughout the school year until funds run out. Although the UW Police Department was not specifically involved in the Downtown Safety Initiative Special Operations, Lieutenant Eric Holen said UWPD has made a considerable effort to increase their presence as students return to campus. "From a patrol standpoint, the first few weeks are critical," Holen said. "We really try to have a strong presence in the residence halls and make some extra patrols around the residence halls. We definitely want to make ourselves available to people." Like Balles, Holen stressed that it is important for students to be aware of their own safety. "Personal safety is personal," Holen said. "The two messages for students to know are control your environment and avoid isolation." One of the ways Holen said students can avoid isolation is to take advantage of the many services UW provides, such as SAFEride and SAFEwalk.