A few days after the dust settled at the Springdale Race Course, the highly anticipated numbers are in: How many people got arrested?
Camden Police Chief Joseph Floyd said 283 people were charged at this year’s annual Carolina Cup, 39 of whom were taken to jail.
That’s up from 242 charges last year, including nearly 70 trips to jail.
The gates opened up at 9 a.m., and the first arrests were made around 9:15 a.m. when the first minor in possession charges were issued, Floyd said.
“Lots of kids don’t understand that if you’re carrying a cooler full of alcohol, you’re in possession of alcohol,” Floyd said. “Fraternities make their pledges do all the work, so often they’re the ones bringing alcohol in. Whether they intend to drink it or not, it’s a possession case.”
Floyd said several minor in possession charges were against pledges, and that fraternity brothers should consider developing another strategy for transporting alcohol.
“If you put your pledges in the position to go get you a beer and bring it to you, you’re putting them in jeopardy of minor in possession if they’re under 21,” Floyd said.
And those minor in possession charges were the most issued charge, followed by public disorderly conduct. According to Floyd, the public disorderly charges are often issued to those over 21 years old who get too drunk and make questionable decisions. But disorderly conduct charges aren’t limited to those of age; minors can also be cited.
“If they’re 21 years of age and they’re drinking and acting responsibly, we don’t bother them,” Floyd said. “But if they cross that line and get sloppy drunk and start falling over, that’s when we get involved.”
There were 157 officers on the ground at the race course Saturday, Floyd said, and many more officers were just off the grounds, working traffic and conducting safety inspections. Floyd said those officers working off the race course’s campus aren’t counted in the number of Carolina Cup officers, as they weren’t dealing directly with the alcohol at the event.
USC police officers have also traveled to Camden to help patrol for the last six years, which Floyd said was a big help when it came to working with so many students.
“USC officers will work through the crowd and recognize a number of the students, and most students recognize them,” he said. “They’re a tremendous tool to have assist us.”
Camden Police will provide the USC Division of Law Enforcement and Safety with a list of arrests made at Carolina Cup so they can follow up with USC students who received charges.