Crime, Arrests Down for State Patty's Day

State College police say arrests and overall crime continued to drop during the unofficial Penn State drinking holiday known as State Patty's Day.
 
For the second year in a row the school paid licensed liquor establishments to stay closed, doling out $211,000 to 34 of 35 businesses.
 
State College police Chief Tom King says the strategy -- combined with a fraternity ban on parties -- seemed to work.

King tells the Centre Daily Times that arrests and citations were down 75 percent over the weekend, compared to 2011 -- the fake holiday's heyday -- and overall crime was down 63 percent.
 
The event began in 2007 when St. Patrick's Day fell on spring break. The holiday no longer coincides with the break, so students now celebrate on the first Saturday of the break, which was March 1.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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