Police, bylaw preparing for St. Patricks Day weekend in Kingston, Ont. – Kingston [Video]

Spring is just around the corner and so is St. Patrick’s Day.

And members of Kingston police liaison team have been pounding the pavement in the city’s university district in advance of what is typically a busy weekend for police, bylaw and emergency services.

“A big part of what we’re doing is just to provide the information to, like I said, citizens, students or people that live in the area about the legislation surrounding street gatherings or partying,” said Staff Sgt. Carla Stacey.

Over the past few years, mass street takeovers that tend to happen in the university district at Homecoming and St. Patrick’s Day have caused headaches for the city and its police service.

Last year, on St. Patrick’s Day alone, Kingston police spent $140,000 on law enforcement for the weekend.

The city’s bylaw enforcement will also be out this weekend, enforcing the terms of the city’s University District Safety Initiative.

Steve Mothersell, the City of …