The final seconds ticked off the clock at Camp Randall Stadium Saturday night, as the student section, in a thundering chorus, echoed Let's get wasted.""
This impromptu chant gave police an idea of the chaos to come.
Madison Police Department Central District Lt. Joe Balles jumped in his squad car just after 11 p.m. The first problem he encountered was not drunken college students, but traffic. Balles needed to get to headquarters and strategize with his officers on how to contain the ruckus of drunken football fans as they moved to house parties and bars.
""It's going to be like a Mifflin-type situation out there,"" Balles said of the potential downtown scene. ""Actually, maybe a little worse, it may be something more like a mini-Halloween.""
Only after sifting through waves of post-game crowds and thick traffic did Balles reach his destination. The lieutenant spoke with several officers and dispatch. To effectively police the night, he was forced to bring in officers from other sections of the city.
In all, about 60 police officers would be downtown, most of whom were working overtime. After 1 a.m., however, that number would dwindle to around only 30 officers.
Midnight
Balles was out on patrol for less than 15 minutes when reports of fights started pouring in. The 500 block of State Street was the hot spot. Not one, but two separate fights broke out near Taco Bell and Qdoba restaurants.
An MPD wagon-sized vehicle filled up quickly, as three squad cars sat parked nearby with their lights on. The van's presence on State Street was unmistakable. At one point, six men sat inside it, and the MPD was in no hurry to get them out.
""It has a calming effect,"" Balles said. ""And it gives us a chance to get organized.""
But the lieutenant had to keep on the move and check in with his other sergeants.
Down on Regent Street, a handful of officers dealt with an extremely intoxicated, belligerent woman. Sgt. Chuck Weiss said she would have to go to detox - which, according to dispatch, was reaching capacity. Sgt. Weiss also said they found her alone and nearly passed out.
1 a.m.
Dispatch reported all the male beds in detox were full.
The situation on State Street had settled, so Balles used the opportunity to drive around downtown and gauge how the next few hours might go.
""Oh, look at that line at the Kollege Klub,"" Balles said. ""I won't be surprised if there's a fight there by the end of night.""
One concern he had was the fact that several Iowa fans were on the streets and, come bar time, with everyone full of alcohol, smack talk could easily turn into a smack to the mouth.
Another problem emerged. As he drove through street intersections, pedestrians didn't avoid his car's presence, but rather ran up to it. All night people mistook the lieutenant's squad car for a cab and would jump in the street, almost touching the car, just to try and stop it. Balles said, ""I've never seen anything like it.""
Balles then came across a stop the university police had made. The officers had pulled over a suspicious SUV because they suspected the men inside possessed weapons.
Balles said the MPD was called to Memorial Union Friday night because officials were afraid of a retaliation shooting, stemming from a shooting on Allied Drive earlier in the week.
It was unclear as to whether police connected the men in the SUV to the shooting or the incident at the Union. However, Balles said it was clear the men police were questioning had no real purpose driving in the downtown area.
2 a.m.
Just before two o'clock, a report came over the radio about a man being knocked unconscious just outside The Pub on the 500 block of State Street. Balles, who just finished quelling an incident at the corner of State and Gilman streets, put on his lights and sped toward The Pub. On arrival, Balles checked with his officers, who had made one arrest, then called for more back up.
Fire trucks, an ambulance and two more squad cars were at the scene within minutes.
Several stunned people stood outside and watched as more than 10 officers tried to calm the scene. EMT workers tended to one man whose face was bloodied and battered. Police called it a ""substantial battery.""
As a result of the fight at The Pub, police took two men into custody for their alleged involvement.
Still, officers could not take a moment to breathe because another incident less than 100 yards down the street had developed. Officers had chased down a suspect who was involved in a fight, but one officer suffered an injury to his kneecap.
About 30 minutes later, Balles returned to the car, shaking his head, and said, ""It's just the beginning.""
3 a.m.
People stumbling out of bars practically ran into the streets and threw themselves at Balles' dark blue car, and like so many others that night, mistook it for a cab.
Balles now continued his patrol of State Street and the surrounding areas to make final checks before going to get an update on his wounded officer and the victim who had suffered injuries from the brawl by The Pub. He had intentions of sending some officers home, but because of the volume of people, he could only allow a few to slip out early.
Students, older residents, Iowa fans and ""thugs"" walked in a mix from State Street to Dayton Street. The lieutenant, at times, felt uneasy about the awkward mix, but because of limited resources, no action could be taken.
And although it was a night that had all the makings for a potentially serious crime, the evening went as expected for the most part. Needless to say, the number of arrests and people sent to detox hardly made it seem like an ordinary Saturday.
Balles, who has been on the force for several years, explained that among all the pedestrians' slurs, stumbling and disregard of walking signals, little could be done. He said he tries to enforce a zero-tolerance policy downtown, but given the magnitude of the situation, ensuring a collective safety was the first priority.
""For us, we see the same thing almost every Saturday night, but it's a different set of characters every time,"" he said. ""It's like a play.""
