Police are leaving many questions unanswered about this year's Halloween celebration on State Street this Saturday.
There are a few specific regulations about this year's celebration that have changed from past years. Most obviously, State Street will be fenced off with a $5 charge to enter. The gates will open at 7:30 p.m., and people will be forced off the street at 1:30 a.m. Police have not granted a time extension because of daylight-savings time.
People who are already on State Street at 7:30 p.m. will be allowed to stay on without purchasing a ticket.
Police said they reserve the right to arrest and throw out those who are being disorderly. If a person is arrested, they will be thrown out and their hand stamp will be removed.
""If you have a hand stamp you can come and go as you please. It is like any other event. If you go to a concert and are acting like a jerk, you might get thrown out or asked to leave, or in this case arrested,"" Madison Police Captain Mary Schauf said. ""And if that happens, your stamp will be voided and you will not be able to return.""
Private security will be on hand to collect the tickets and direct people throughout the night. This security is not part of the police department, but is separate and has different responsibilities.
Predictably, partygoers have voiced concerns about how the night will end. For the past four consecutive years, pepper spray has been used to quell rowdy revelers. Local officials hope that it will not reach this point, but the final decision will be situational and is in the hands of the police on the scene.
""Hopefully this year would be a year where no one would have to unplug the canisters,"" Public Information Officer Mike Hanson said. ""It is a judgment decision that is made by the commanders.""
The city has not been silent in the way they plan to handle the crowd this year. Many believe they should have been more up front and this will lead to problems during Halloween because the people will not know the rules and it could lead to a mob mentality.
""You are just going to have a bunch of drunk people wanting it their way,"" said Arun Gopalratnam, a UW-Madison senior. ""If they don't know the rules sober, they are not going to comprehend the rules drunk.""
""I think it is going to displace crowds into residential neighborhoods,"" said Phil Ejercito, a concerned citizen who has been vocal about Halloween. ""I think there is first of all going to be displacement, and second, at the end of the night it could potentially serve as a flash point for dangerous crowd behavior and dangerous police behavior.""
