The DeKalb Police Department is concerned about the consistent increase of criminal and disorderly activity during Homecoming weekends.

Even though no fatalities, shootings or stabbings occurred this year, the same cannot be said about loitering and the related mob-like activity that sometimes results.

This Homecoming, police officers’ responses to loud party calls were delayed for an hour and a half to two hours because of officers dealing with large crowds of the same people migrating from one parking lot to the next, said DeKalb Police Chief Bill Feithen.

On Friday night, the BP Amoco, 920 W. Lincoln Highway, was ravaged after members of a large crowd began fighting inside the store. Elsewhere, DeKalb Police Lt. Jim Kayes said police cleared loiterers out of the 7-Eleven parking lot on North Annie Glidden Road three times.

Police also cleared groups out of Village Commons on Lucinda Avenue and out of Thirsty Liquor’s, 1039 W. Hillcrest Drive. Road Ranger, 125 N. Annie Glidden Road, dealt with the same issue and was shut down for an hour and a half.

Saturday brought much of the same.

On Saturday night, 7-Eleven barricaded its parking lot for a portion of the evening, Road Ranger shut down and police cleared out the parking lots of the Lincoln Highway McDonald’s and Jimmy John’s, 1011 W. Hillcrest Drive, Kayes said.

Also on Saturday night, police dispersed a crowd gathering around the Egyptian Theater, 135 N. Second St. The crowd was successfully cleared, only to reappear at Mardi Gras Lanes, 1730 Sycamore Road, Kayes said. The parking lot and the business were jammed tight with people.

A fight broke out inside the bowling alley around 2:00 a.m. and police had trouble entering the establishment because there were so many people inside, Kayes said.

When the bowling alley was finally cleared, bowling balls and trash were scattered all over the floor, Kayes said.

This is not the first time Mardi Gras Lanes has dealt with a large crowd. Mardi Gras Lanes has been crowded in the past for New Year’s Eve and regular weekend business, but they rarely require police assistance, Feithen said.

NIU dealt with its own problems with people on campus.

“There are always a few isolated incidents but overall, this year’s Homecoming was an improvement over previous years,” said Brian Hemphill, vice president of Student Affairs.

University Police reported a robbery in lot L. just southwest of the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center, and a slew of car break-ins on campus.

Homecoming events bring more people to campus, and more activity is expected, said University Police Chief Donald Grady.

“Overall, things went well considering it was Homecoming,” Grady said.