With the first weekend after winter break looming, revelers may be celebrating more than just being back among friends.
The three-year-old Eugene Police Department party patrol will be eliminating their weekend focused patrol team because of budget concerns. Instead, patrol shifts will be restructured to use more officers during busier shifts to offset the absence of the focus patrol.
The program is not being cut, said Becky Hanson, EPD patrol captain, though overtime officers will no longer be used. However, in case of specific events, such as athletic events or homecoming, a focused patrol team will still be used.
The program, created to respond to numerous parties on Friday and Saturday nights, met with dissension from students. And a dispute regarding the particulars of response fines and the definition of an out-of-control function saw a heated debate in front of the Eugene City Council.
“I thought the program was faulty because of the motivation behind it,” ASUO community outreach director Christa Shively said. “Just because they’re not able to fund a special program doesn’t mean they won’t crack down when they go to a party.”
Shively said though there may not be constant patrolling on streets in West Eugene, there will still be calls on parties. She has been working with the police on student-related issues for more than a year, including the ASUO’s own draft of the proposed city ordinance which set the police response fee.
“The police and City Council felt the party patrol kept the peace in Eugene,” Shively said. “But they will find another way to do that in the absence of the party patrol. I don’t think this is the end of the story.”
Without the focused patrol concentrating solely on University parties, the effects from the new program BUSTED [Beginning Underage Success Through Educational Diversion] has yet to be determined. BUSTED is a 10-hour course offered to University students as an option for those cited for permitting consumption of alcohol by minors or being a minor in possession.
“The program is one we believe makes a difference,” said Miki Mace, administrator of the University substance abuse prevention program. Whether or not the party patrol has effected the numbers enrolled in the program, BUSTED has been successful, she said.
“When we get students for the BUSTED program, we don’t know if that’s a direct result of the party patrol,” Mace said. “If our numbers drop dramatically, we’ll know they had an impact.”
In lieu of a weekend team of officers dedicated exclusively to the party patrol, Hanson said that party complaint calls will be prioritized with other calls. The response time will be dictated depending on the size and noise level of the party.
“We’re stepping back and allowing people to manage their parties responsibly,” Hanson said.
Students will provide the answer to the question of whether the disbandment of the weekend focused party patrol will result in more parties and drinking, Mace said.”I think students are pretty much going to do what they’re going to do,” she said, “whether there is someone to catch them or not.”