RCPD says ‘Fake Patty’s Day’ has become unsafe and will no longer be supported

An agency official for RCPD announced that the department will no longer support the off-campus tradition known as “Fake Patty’s Day,” saying the event has become unmanageable and a growing public-safety concern.

"It's not working out anymore," the agency official said, calling the observance "a black mark on this city." The official said parties have shifted into residential neighborhoods and that the department has deployed extra patrols and worked with local businesses, but "there's been too many arrests, too many emergencies," adding that the strain on resources made continued support untenable.

The speaker framed the decision as consistent with the department's mission: "It's not 'Fake Patty's Day' — it's us. We've grown, we've changed and we're ready to move on," the agency official said, adding that RCPD's "mission has always been to protect [and] serve the community." The announcement did not specify a date for the change or provide counts for arrests, patrol hours or emergency calls.

Local officials and campus groups were not quoted in the recorded message and no formal vote or ordinance was announced; the statement came as an agency policy/operational decision rather than a legislative action. The official urged the community and businesses to cooperate with safety efforts but did not lay out a public timeline or enforcement plan.

The message ended with recorded audio; RCPD said the decision reflects a reassessment of the department's approach to the event, and further details were described as "not specified."