Many students groan at the thought of the Eugene Police Department bringing back the notorious Party Patrol. The possibility of a reinstatement made the editorial board groan, too, but for more reasons than the threat of getting “caught” partying. A newly instated Party Patrol would divert already scarce resources.
According to EPD, the new system would be different from the old Party Patrol, which paid overtime for extra officers to respond to parties. The program ended last March because the city could no longer afford it. The new system would merely provide what EPD calls a “more balanced work schedule,” which means that more police officers would be assigned to patrolling parties at certain times, rather than EPD hiring more officers or paying overtime.
While underage drinking is an important issue, a Party Patrol system designed specifically to “discover” parties that might be a problem in the future and punish those involved isn’t the most effective response. Underage drinking and loud partying can be controlled by EPD responding to individual incidents, as they have since March.
Here’s our major concern: If EPD isn’t planning to hire new officers or pay overtime, it means officers previously assigned to responding to crimes may have to shift their focus to patrolling for parties. Under this system, underage drinking and partying in general could take precedence over more serious crimes occurring in Eugene.
We imagine one reason EPD used the Party Patrol in the first place was in an effort to cut down on drunk driving. However, that concern should be addressed with the DUII grant they recently received, allowing officers 24 more hours a month dedicated to catching drivers under the influence. Many of these hours can be used during peak party times.
And students should do their part and have fun responsibly, which means keeping party noise at a reasonable level and not supplying alcohol to those under 21.
Students who do violate laws should expect to pay the consequences, but the police shouldn’t be hunting for parties. There are better ways for law enforcement to achieve its goals.
We still say no to Party Patrol
Daily Emerald
October 23, 2001
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