University police will have their hands full as thousands of people crowd the Mall for Homecoming weekend.

Using every member of the force to patrol tailgating activities, the parade and the football game, the department will be put to the test, said Sgt. Eugene Mejia, UAPD spokesman.

And with many campus organizations calling for additional crowd control and security help, UAPD will stagger patrols shifts to assist as many people as possible.

In my experience, the people that usually visit the campus are much more mature than when they went to school here. - Sgt. Eugene Mejia UAPD spokesman

"We are already taxed without normal Homecoming activities," Mejia said. "We just can't meet the demands of everybody."

Two bike officers will patrol the tailgating areas while others will patrol the rest of the campus. Police will handle the highest priority calls first.

"We may not address the property damage calls and minor reports immediately," Mejia said. "Crimes against people come first; crimes against property are second."

UAPD does not plan to add additional patrols for the Friday and Saturday night campus parties either. Fraternities throwing parties have already notified the police and the university about their events, something that will help keep students and visitors safe, Mejia said.

Homecoming, while taxing on the police force, tends to be a very controlled weekend, Mejia said.

"In my experience, the people that usually visit the campus are much more mature than when they went to school here," Mejia said.

The issue of underage drinking at the tailgating tents on the mall will also be addressed, although Mejia said that in the past underage drinking has not been an important issue.

"That's mainly because they have been responsible and under control," he said. "We don't need to get a large group of officers to address those issues."

Tucson police also have no plans to change their patrols or amount of officers in the area.

"In our recollection, there is nothing more that needs to be done," said Sgt. Marco Borboa, TPD spokesman. "We're not planning anything special."

The campus residence halls are also planning on a smooth weekend, especially now that construction has subsided.

In the past few years, the residence halls were forced into the celebration as tailgate tents were stationed near dorms.

"This is a pretty normal year for us," said Jim Van Arsdel, director of Residence Life. "For the most part, the residence halls are pretty far removed physically, and in terms of programs, from the activities that go on during Homecoming."

Res. Life will hold residents responsible for the actions of their guests, Van Arsdel said. With the new residence hall security policies, Van Arsdel said there is no need for additional help.

"In years previous to this year, we did lock down all of the buildings at a certain time," he said. "But we just changed our policy so that all the buildings are locked down 24 hours a day anyway."