Imported Lagers

Oxford police are preparing for another Green Beer Day, a day marked by binge drinking that falls the Thursday before Miami University’s spring break. This year, that day is March 3.

Miami University students created the day in the 1970s when the university changed academic calendar so that St. Patrick’s Day fell during spring break.

Because drinking starts in the early morning and continues throughout the day, Oxford police increase staff and begin patrolling around 5 a.m.

Last year police spent $2,570 on extra personnel for Green Beer Day, said Sgt. Jim Squance. Twenty arrests were made, one involving a students who crashed into a police cruiser.

Officers will be stationed throughout the Uptown district. Some will be undercover in bars, some will be on foot and others will be in marked and unmarked police vehicles looking for alcohol violations.

Squance said the goal of police is to make sure the day is safe.

“We know there will be a lot of people out and a lot of people drinking,” said Squance. “If we can avoid any tragedies or bad things happening, than we’ve done our job that day.”

The drinking culture this semester in Oxford has already led to five straight weeks of someone being taken to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. In the last five weeks, incidents have included a student passing out at a bar, another punching a hospital nurse and another breaking into a house and passing out.

Police also made 336 arrests for underage drinking since the beginning of this school year.

Squance said it is hard to predict if this streak of arrests will continue on Green Beer Day.

“We don’t know what will happen,” said Squance. “But we always worry about the safety of everyone that works, lives or visits Oxford.”