Five or six Indians, a Roman gladiator, two farmers, Pancho Villa, an ancient Greek woman, a black cat and a young guy dressed as an old man: not the typical crowd UK Police Sgt. James Haubenreich pulls over.

On Halloween, though, Haubenreich saw all 12 or 13 — in one seven-seat minivan — and flicked on the police lights of his squad car.

Bluegrass Community and Technical College student Ryan Flowers rolled down the window. Haubenreich smelled alcohol and ordered Flowers, dressed in the old man attire, out of the car.

“I’m not going to lie to you,” Flowers said before blowing a .238 on his Breathalyzer test. “I’ve had eight to 10 shots — Jell-O shots, whiskey shots

Although many of the people arrested Friday night were in costume, Haubenreich said it was a fairly typical night. UK Police did not increase the number of police working Friday night and did not see an abnormally high number of arrests.

“Last Halloween was a lot like this one,” Haubenreich said. “People are dressing up but not getting into too much trouble.”

Haubenreich asked Flowers if his car passengers had a way to get home, and he told them all to get out of the van. The Indians, wearing loincloths, body paint on their chests and not much else, began walking down Huguelet Avenue with the other van passengers in the chilly 2 a.m. weather.

Some returned a few minutes later to give police Flowers’ keys and smoke a cigarette with their jail-bound friend.

“You’re going to get out,” one Indian said as the black cat lit the cigarette for the handcuffed Flowers. “We’re going to be partying before the fourth.”

“Plead the fifth, man,” another Indian said. “Plead the fifth.”

Flowers was good-natured, offering a smile and a few jokes while standing cuffed against the police car. As Haubenreich wrote the police report, Flowers said he knew Haubenreich was just doing his job.

“He’s fairly chipper,” Haubenreich said while restarting his squad car. “You know, it’s surprising, but most of the guys you see are usually understanding.”

A former Marine, Haubenreich graduated from Eastern Kentucky University two years ago and joined UK Police soon after. He has been on the force for three years, much of that on the third shift, which patrols overnight.

At midnight, about two hours into his shift, Haubenreich stopped his car on the corner of Columbia Avenue and Rose Street and began walking down Sorority Row.

Students in fraternities and sororities have begun loading onto the buses for a trip to a roller rink. As Haubenreich moved through the crowd, students stopped and waved to him. Almost everyone in the crowd was dressed as something, from postal workers to a “killer bee,” a young woman in a bee costume carrying a toy gun.

“Hey, you’re dressed as a cop,” one student yelled as Haubenreich walked down the street. Haubenreich smiled and responded with a thumbs-up.

Although some people in the group loading onto the bus were visibly intoxicated and a little wobbly, Haubenreich did not say anything or make an arrest.

He does not detain people who may be drunk when they don’t seem like a danger to themselves or others, he said. If people don’t begin running into the street, falling down or starting fights, it’s often not worth it.

“If I were arresting somebody already intoxicated and there was a group that was causing a disorder, I already have one person in custody and I can’t arrest (the group),” Haubenreich said. “It’s like, pick your battles.”

As he stood on the lawn of the Delta Gamma sorority house, students joked with Haubenreich, asking him to “pound it” with a fist bump and posed for a picture with some students, which he agreed to.

Still, some students bolt when they see UK Police’s squad cars or Haubenreich in uniform, although he often does not chase them.

Walking away from Sorority Row toward his police car Friday, a young man wearing a ski cap and tights began sprinting away from the Boone Center toward the library as Haubenreich neared the Boone Center lot.

The day before, Haubenreich saw two girls in colorful Halloween costumes start running in high heels when they saw him.

He doesn’t take it personally, though.

“It takes a lot of skill to run in heels,” Haubenreich said, smiling.

Much of Haubenreich’s night is spent either answering calls or doing checks in areas around campus. On Friday, he helped arrest three people for driving under the influence, participated in a drug search where marijuana was found and broke up a noise disturbance in front of Holmes Hall.

Most of the people Haubenreich questions or arrests are calm and some, like Flowers, make friendly conversation. Others cry.

Sitting in the back of a police car a little after 1 a.m., a young woman in a Saran Wrap dress was near tears after being arrested several minutes after blowing a .120 in a Breathalyzer, six times the legal limit for her, a minor.

As her friend, art studio freshman Josh Thomson, leaned into the car and whispered to her, tears formed in her eyes and fell down her cheeks.

Walking away from the police car, Thomson stood with his arms folded near her car, angry about the drive home from a party several blocks away.

“It sucks because I’m usually the person that’s like, ‘don’t drive,’ ” he said. “I’ve said that so many times the last few days. I’m the person who hides the keys.”

Haubenreich said he doesn’t get upset when the people he arrests get sad or angry.

“Usually people are crying because it’s an emotional event for them and with alcohol, it makes them feel it more,” Haubenreich said. “I usually don’t cry with them because I’m not the one going to jail.”

He paused.

“Well I drop them off,” he said.

Haubenreich said he hasn’t forgotten any faces of the people he has arrested, although they often do not remember him.

“People don’t recognize me out of uniform,” Haubenreich said. “You know, you arrest somebody, and they’ll be your server two weeks later and they won’t remember you.”

He also remembers what he sees while on patrol. Haubenreich has to notice small changes, he said. After all, if he drives down the street and on his return the person is missing his or her coat or backpack they could be doing something dangerous.

“A good police officer is a good observer,” he said.

Driving along East Maxwell Street by Good Samaritan Hospital at 5 a.m., Haubenreich noticed a man staggering toward Rose Street, a sparkly wrestling mask sitting loosely on the top of his head.

He stopped down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and turned around. Rolling down his window, Haubenreich asked the man where he was going.

“Broadway,” the man shouted.

“He said he was walking to Broadway,” Haubenreich said, pulling over his squad car. “That’s not a good sign.”

Haubenreich stepped out of the car and began asking the man questions, like what he was doing earlier that night and where he was going. Another officer, Donnie Duff, stopped his car to help.

The man resisted questioning and declined the Breathalyzer test. When Haubenreich tried to handcuff the man, he struggled, and Duff stepped in to help. After some shouts from the man about just wanting to head home, the officers managed to calm him down and move him to Duff’s squad car.

As Haubenreich filled out a police report on his squad car’s computer, the man began complaining about the sound of the police radio.

“Change the channel,” the man yelled. “I want to listen to NPR!”

Haubenreich gave a small laugh and continued typing up his report.

From East Maxwell Street, Haubenreich drove back to the police station, where he had to finish his night by typing up reports.

Nights as a police officer are nothing like the nights for cops on TV, Haubenreich said; there are no car chases or gunfights on UK’s campus.

Instead, he said, it’s about talking to students and serving the community.

“It’s a chance to help people,” he said. “You might meet different people different days, but there’s always a different way to help.”