The Eugene Police Department sent out tips to host a responsible party for the upcoming weekend. According the release, the Eugene Police will be proactively working in the West and South university and downtown. EPD said that the closer students get to spring break, problems associated with alcohol tend to become a more frequent occurrence.
“At the beginning of spring time in the past we’ve experienced more alcohol related and social host problems, and we have gotten more complaints from neighbors and residents during this time of year,” EPD public information officer Melinda Mclaughlin said. “We’ll have party patrols out during this weekend to ensure people are being safe. There are always police around, but the party patrols are a particular effort that watches out for party related incidents.
According to the release, if you plan on hosting a party, be sure to respect the neighbors, control the guest list and only have people 21 and over if serving alcohol. The release also says to notify surrounding neighbors of the party and to monitor noise levels during the party. EPD also reminded people to not hesitate to call 911 if someone at the party might be suspected of having alcohol poisoning, and prevent drunk driving by arranging transportation by a designated driver before anyone drinks.
The release also states that fines for violating the law can cost a student anywhere from a $360 fine for being a minor in possession to $125,000 fine and jail time for having a fake ID.
EPD put an emphasis on the Social Host Ordinance, the ordinance that was voted in by Eugene City Council in March of 2013. The Social Host Ordinance fines the property owners of the party that is being penalized for multiple violations. The base fine for the Social Host Ordinance is $375.00. According to Mclaughlin, 25 Social Host Ordinance citations have been issued, but none of the citations have been at repeat addresses.