Plainfield Police report that they’ve found a use for more than 600 rolls of toilet paper seized from student pranksters during homecoming week.
Police posted a video showing scrolling news mentions of what they jokingly called “Operation Clean Sweep,” writing, “That escalated nicely.”
The video shows students and officers loading the toilet paper for donation to the Plainfield Area Interfaith Food Pantry.
Police wrote, an “incident that went insanely viral ended up bringing our community together in a pretty awesome way.”
The original post that got so much attention, read: “Major two-ply trafficking ring disrupted.”
It showed 10 officers, one a K-9, posing with the 650 rolls of toilet paper.
“Estimated street value $1,708.66,” the post read.
While police were having fun with this, they also noted, “Homecoming is not a free pass to damage someone else’s property or disrupt their quality of life.”
Police post from September 23
WELL... THAT ESCALATED NICELY...
What started as a toilet paper incident that went insanely viral ended up bringing our community together in a pretty awesome way.
Today, members of the Plainfield North National Honor Society joined our officers to collect and deliver most of that infamous toilet paper to the Plainfield Area Interfaith Food Pantry.
What began as a story that had the internet talking turned into an opportunity to give back... and we couldn’t think of a better ending.
A huge thank you to these Plainfield North students for stepping up, working alongside our officers, and helping turn a viral moment into something that will directly benefit our community.
Sometimes you just have to roll with it. 
Police post from September 16th
We understand that Homecoming comes with traditions, and we want students to have fun and make memories.
But what we are seeing this week has gone well beyond harmless pranks.
On Monday and Tuesday we received double digit calls for service specific to juvenile related complaints between 7:15 PM and 9:15 PM in the PNHS "footprint". Residents were reporting homes and vehicles targeted with toilet paper, eggs, ketchup, laundry detergent pods, and other items. 20-25 people wearing hoodies & ski masks will ‘pull up’ (as the kids say) simultaneously in multiple vehicles and cause chaos.
Before the “don’t you have anything better to do” comments start rolling in…. on Monday & Tuesday, we also assisted Plainfield Fire with a structure fire, assisted the State Police, made a DUI arrest, assisted a family experiencing a mental health crisis, and handled crashes, intoxicated subject calls, violations of orders of protection, and more.
In short, we DO have better things to do. So PLEASE, be respectful of your community and let us!
These incidents are not limited to friends or classmates.
Homes with small children, homes without children, and residents who have absolutely nothing to do with Homecoming are being targeted.
At this point, we are seeing property damage and significant cleanup, and residents are understandably frustrated. So, when officers intercepted 650 rolls of toilet paper that were intended to be used for these activities, we decided to make the situation very clear:
Homecoming is not a free pass to damage someone else's property or disrupt their quality of life.
We want Plainfield North students to enjoy their week. We want them to participate in traditions. We want them to have fun.
But criminal mischief, property damage, and dangerous behavior are not Homecoming traditions we will overlook.
Think before you act. What may seem like a harmless prank to you can leave someone else with a damaged home, a significant mess, or a costly cleanup.
Have fun. Make memories. BUT DO IT WITH RESPECT. And yes… 650 rolls. We counted.
