Bruin Bash ’11 sees fewer alcohol-related incidents than in past concerts

Tougher security at this year’s Bruin Bash concert led to a significantly reduced number of alcohol-related incidents, university police said.

UCPD received four alcohol-related calls this year, compared to 18 at the concert site last year ““ more than a four-fold decrease.

UCLA and UCPD officials took measures to extensively screen concert-goers before entry.

A walkway stretching from Wilson Plaza through the Intramural Field was fenced off, requiring students to walk a few hundred feet through various gates.

With this arrangement, the UCPD, Emergency Medical Technicians and various event workers had multiple opportunities to stop inebriated students on their way into the concert, said UCPD spokeswoman Nancy Greenstein.

The new pathway also allowed EMTs easy access to treat students before they entered the crowd, and without blocking the entrance, said Kenn Heller, an assistant dean of students and associate director of the Center for Student Programming.

The Undergraduate Students Association Council allocated $5,000 in funding for increased security after last year’s incidents, said Kinnery Shah, a fourth-year international development studies student and the cultural affairs commissioner.

This year’s system was similar to the one in place at Jazz Reggae Festival in May, Heller said.

Since Jazz Reggae Festival’s security system allowed for swift ambulance access and early identification of inebriation, adopting the same system for Bruin Bash was a clear choice, he said.

In previous years, there were typically four or five EMS calls at Bruin Bash, said Greenstein. She said it is unclear why there was an increase in incidents last year.