Night games at Kinnick make longer hours for Iowa City police

Many Hawk fans will head to their favorite tailgating spots at 7 a.m. Saturday, as usual.

But with a 7 p.m. kickoff for a rare night game under the Kinnick lights, that means eight extra tailgating hours, since University of Iowa parking lots open at 7 a.m., just as for a typical 11 a.m. gametime.

Athletic officials said night starts can mean more national television exposure and a great atmosphere for a big game.

But night games also can mean more problems with rowdy fans, more strain on resources and more arrests, area law enforcement officials said.

“I know the whole night game concept is good for the university, but it's bad for those of us ... involved in the public safety,” Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said.

Saturday's Homecoming contest versus Michigan is only the fourth true night game at Kinnick. The last one - in 2006, versus Ohio State - saw more bookings into the Johnson County Jail, Pulkrabek said.

During the 16-hour period spanning just before and just after that game, there were 105 new bookings, he said. At 9 a.m. the day after the game, 135 people were in the jail, above maximum capacity of about 100. That compares to the first home game this year, an 11 a.m. kickoff versus the University of Northern Iowa, when about 70 people were booked during the 16-hour period, Pulkrabek said.

Johnson County, Iowa City Police and UI Police all have extra officers for game days, even more so for a night game. Working game days is mandatory for UI police, Public Safety Director Chuck Green said.

“It means a much longer day for all of my staff,” Green said of night games. “Probably the arrests do go up a bit simply because you have a much longer period of time and people will start partying much earlier.”

Whether Iowa City police see problems depends on a number of factors, Sgt. Troy Kelsay said: if the weather is nice, if it's a big game, and if the Hawks win.

“Certainly the potential is there for a very, very active night, for many, many arrests,” Kelsay said. “We have to anticipate that and staff accordingly.”

The Athletic Department helps cover those law enforcement overtime costs. The UI paid $152,304 in police overtime for the Ohio State night game, compared to $115,874 for an 11 a.m. game versus Wisconsin in 2008, UI associate athletics director Paula Jantz said.

The occasional night game is good TV exposure and a fun change of pace, she said. The longer tailgate time also means fans trickle in to parking lots throughout the day, helping ease traffic snarls, Jantz said.

Just like with the Ohio State game in 2006, UI officials ask for no tailgating after the Michigan game, an effort to ward off more drinking or problems.

“There is additional work, certainly, but it is a great, great college football atmosphere,” Jantz said. “From our perspective, once a year is a great opportunity.”