Police partnership aims towards safe partying
‘We’re not trying to stop people from partying; we’re just asking them to party responsibly’
The Eugene police department has partnered with the University of Oregon police in enhancing the Party Patrol, an enforcement squad focused on maintaining noise from students.
Started in 1997, the Party Patrol has become a vital part of campus culture in which it aims to let college kids enjoy social experiences in a safe manner while also ensuring that their non-partying neighbors can sleep and study.
“Our goal is real simple: to prevent sexual assaults, to prevent alcohol overdoses, to prevent riots and to educate the kids about keeping themselves and their belongings safe,” Lieutenant Doug Mozan told the Register Guard.
The Party Patrol is partnering with UO police to help increase the education regarding the dangers of sexual assault and alcohol overdoses. Photo credit: Chris Pietsch from the Register-Guard
According to the article, the patrol covers the campus, around Franklin Boulevard to East 24th Avenue, and from Mill Street to Agate Street. It also stated that, “It sometimes includes the student neighborhoods to the north, across the Willamette River in the Kinsrow Avenue area near Autzen Stadium.”
Since students live all around these different areas and share spaces with non-student occupants, the Party Patrol has found its proper spot in the city’s culture.
“Party Patrol is crucial given the track record of student parties ruining neighborhoods,” Eugene Police Chief Pete Kerns told the paper.
“They [non-student residents] like the environment near campus but they don’t want the nature of it to change, so we try to manage the behavior so it doesn’t change the nature of the neighborhood.”
Most of the calls to the patrol involve under age drinking
There are many reasons why college towns such as Eugene invest in this kind of program, such as large amounts of calls such as neighbors calling to complain about disorderly behavior, and perhaps the most dangerous reason, to help prevent the consumption of alcohol by minors and educate students about the dangers of sexual assault.
“We’re not trying to stop people from partying,” Mozan said. “We’re just asking them to party responsibly.”
The Fiji fraternity found itself as an example when the Party Patrol cited 19 underage drinkers between Friday at 10:00 pm and Saturday at 3 am during the Nov 18-19 patrol. Given the noisy circumstances, they were given a prohibited-nose citation and according to the Guard, this isn’t the first time that Fiji has had this issue.
“An unruly gathering citation is like a disease; it’s like Hepatitis C. You can’t get rid of it, and the symptoms are just going to get worse. It’s stuck on you,” Mozan added.
UOPD believes that this program invests in the student community
Overall the program aims to help keep peace in the neighborhood, and to show consideration towards students and their neighbors.
“Party Patrol positively impacts students and the community they live in,” said UOPD officer Adam Lillengreen.
“It allows for ongoing education, specifically with regards to having responsible parties and reverence toward neighbors and the laws of the city.”