ASUO, in coordination with the Eugene Police Department and the University of Oregon Police Department, has launched a new program called party registration that will begin spring term to replace party patrol from the fall.  

ASUO President Luda Isakharov said the program will allow students to receive a warning call when throwing parties before an officer is dispatched to the registered address. Isakharov said that the program is designed to decrease the amount of police presence necessary in university neighborhoods. 

Isakharov said the program is part of ASUO’s response to EPD’s party patrols conducted during the fall term. According to EPD Deputy Chief Shawn Adams, the party patrols were part of increased law enforcement to deal with parties getting out of control.

“What party patrol really was, it’s us bringing in additional resources just to deal with the parties so that our normal resources could continue to look out for the calls for service within the city,” Adams said.

Isakharov said ASUO hopes that the program, developed with EPD Chief Chris Skinner and UOPD Chief Jason Wade, will act as a replacement for EPD’s party patrol.

“The general understanding we’ve gotten from the Eugene Police Department is that if this program goes well and everyone complies on both ends, then there will not be a need for party patrol,” Isakharov said.

Isakharov said party complaints will go to EPD’s dispatch, who will check to see if the address is on the list. From there, she said EPD will call the number from the party registration list and give them an official warning. 

She said hosts of the party will have a 20-minute grace period, after which a UOPD officer will be dispatched to the scene if a call comes in after the 20 minutes. Luda Isakharov said the reason it will be UOPD rather than EPD is that they are more equipped to de-escalate and deal with students due to their relationship and experience with the university. 

According to Isakharov, some students are concerned with sharing their addresses with law enforcement. Luda Isakharov said EPD already has a list of addresses of Greek live-outs and notable house show venues that frequently are reported with complaints such as noise disturbances.

“We really want to emphasize this is actually going to really decrease your likelihood of citation, and it will increase your likelihood of not having to engage with EPD at all, which is our goal,” Isakharov said.

She said ASUO will be offering two training sessions during the first two weeks of spring term for anyone who potentially will host a large party. Once they are completed, the hosts will then be able to register, she said.

In Nov. 2022, students testified to Eugene city council about experiences with party patrol that they said made them fear the police. EPD issued hundreds of misdemeanors, violations and arrests through its party patrol initiative fall term.

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“If there is a registered party going on or students are truly looking at that student experience and the enjoyment that college should be, that they can do it in such a way that they’re safe,” Chief Wade said.

Wade said UOPD tries to take more of an educational approach, rather than the traditional police interaction students might have with EPD, such as receiving citations. He said UOPD’s history and previous experience with students, and daily interactions with the student body, can help students feel safer when interacting with law enforcement compared to interacting with other local law enforcement.

“We want to chip in and make sure that one, we really focus on the safety, but two, we look at moving forward from the mistakes of the past or the concerns of the past year,” he said.

Adams of EPD said the program is a compromise between EPD and students. The new program grants a lot of trust to the students in order to minimize interactions between students and EPD, he said.

“I’m super hopeful about where this is going. I really am. I think it’s a brilliant solution. I think it’s born out of good conversation between the U of O students and us and UOPD,” Adams said.

To sign up for the pilot party registration program, hosts must attend a party registration orientation on either April 3 or April 10 of Spring term. To be eligible for the program, a host must be a student at the UO, at least 18 years old and living off-campus. 

Those interested can sign up for a party registration orientation session on the Division of Student Life website.