Going into Halloween weekend, the Eugene Police Department knew it would be a challenge. Game day festivities, Occupy Eugene protests and Halloween parties had Eugene filled with a variety of rabble rousers, which led to 137 incidents prompting police responses throughout the weekend.
The number of minor in possessions and open container citations nearly rival those of the first weekend before the start of fall term. Between Oct. 28 and 29, there were 41 MIP and 46 open container citations, compared to 48 MIP and 66 open container citations given in a similar two-day span during the other weekend.
Even so, EPD officials are happy with the overall outcome of the Halloween weekend.
“The 2011 Halloween weekend ended without significant incident,” wrote Melinda McLaughlin,@@http://www.eugene-or.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=273&PageID=3997&cached=true&mode=2&userID=2@@ the director of communications for EPD, in a press release, “although it shaped up as being a challenge due to the various activities in town.”
For University freshman Ellen Garland@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Ellen+Garland@@ and junior transfer student Nick Flores@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Nick+Flores@@ — both of whom experienced their first Halloween weekend in Eugene — the amount of police activity was surprising.
“Friday wasn’t too bad, but Saturday was insane,” Garland said. “There were cops on every corner.”
Flores understood the need, even if it did seem excessive at times.
“There were hundreds of people on the streets,” he said. “I saw a guy passed out on his back, and DPS was trying to help him.”
Garland said she felt safer seeing cops around, but at times also felt overwhelmed by the police presence.
“If you’re not drinking, but everyone around you is, it’s scary wondering if you’ll get in trouble just being there,” she said.
Even though they’re only in their first several weeks at the University, they noticed the difference between this weekend and others.
“It seems like holidays and weekends when there are big events, there are going to be a lot more police,” Flores said. “And I definitely will not be getting myself into situations where I could get in trouble.”
Each saw the majority of the cop presence around the campus hot spot of East 14th Avenue and Ferry Street. Both witnessed students gathering on the sidewalks in huge groups.
“It seemed like people were trying to figure out where to go, but the police were trying to get people to go inside,” Garland said.
University senior Taylor Parrish@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Taylor+Parrish@@ has been in Eugene for four years, and to him, the police seem less necessary.
“Every weekend since school started back up, I’ve seen flashing lights on almost every major street,” Parrish said. “They’re a waste of time and taxpayer money, and all they do is harass college students.”
It doesn’t make sense to Parrish to force students to leave parties when it means they’ll then be gathering on the streets.
“I think that by amping up the patrolling, they’re actually making it less safe for college kids,” Parrish said. “If people are really going as crazy as the cops say, wouldn’t it be safer to let them stay at a house than force them back on the streets?”
Parrish also attributes the higher MIP and open container citations to this kind of incident handling.
“By pushing people out of houses, they’re also forcing people to take their supplies of alcohol with them,” Parrish said.
EPD suggests students to be smart about their weekend activities no matter what.
“The presence of intoxicated individuals, darkened conditions, pedestrians and vehicles on the roadways can be a dangerous mix,” McLaughlin wrote. “Police would like to remind everyone to exercise caution.”
EPD issues high number of citations during Halloween weekend
Daily Emerald
October 29, 2011
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