The Eugene Police Department had its hands full last weekend as thousands of students returned to campus and celebrated one of the only weekends of the year without homework.
 

The result? Officers issued 125 citations in two nights, and spent more than two hours Thursday breaking up a crowd of about 250 people near East 17th Avenue and Mill Street.
 
Police are calling Thursday’s incident – which required the attention of 10 officers – a riot. Police say people threw beer bottles and struck a police car.
But witnesses say the crowd never got too out of hand.
“I definitely would not say it was a riot,” University senior Matthew Goodwin, 21, said. “It was just a big party.”
The cause of the crowd was a birthday party that attracted more guests than expected, Goodwin said, who attended the party.
The party was being held for William Lewis, a business major at the University who was celebrating his 21st birthday. Lewis said he attended the party thinking it would only be a house party with some of his friends. “I tried to have a good time,” Lewis said. “There were just tons of people.”
Lewis received a citation for noise, and said when the police arrived he was trying to get everyone out of his house, so he did not observe what was going on outside.
University senior Julia Tierney, 22, also attended the party, but left before the police came. Tierney said people were “spilling across the street” from the house, and said she thinks word about the Facebook-promoted party spread throughout the residence halls, attracting a large number of freshmen. Tierney also said she knows of approximately six people who received citations for being minors in possession.
In the aftermath of Thursday’s incident, police increased patrols in the West University area, which has the highest concentration of University students. Known as the Crowd Control Team, officers on bikes focused their efforts on enforcing alcohol laws, and emphasizeProxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0
the need for people at parties to understand and adhere to the laws .
The increased police efforts over the weekend resulted in the high number of citations, which were almost entirely alcohol-related.
Know the risks
There are 11 major laws guiding your right to party. Learn the specifics – including the cost of getting caught.
Minor in Possession People under 21 who attempt to purchase or acquire alcohol or have alcohol in their system Offense: Violation Fine: Up to $360
Minor Falsely Representing Age People pretending to be older to secure a right, benefit or privilege, which is legally denied to those under a certain age Offense: Crime Fine: Up to $500 (jailable)
Giving False Information to a Police Officer Knowingly giving false information – name, address, or birthdate – to an officer issuing a citation Offense: Crime Fine: Up to $2,500 (jailable)
Possession of a Forged Instrument (Fake ID) Knowingly possessing a forged, government-issued ID Offense: Felony Fine: Up to $125,000 (jailable)
Furnishing Alcohol to a Minor Providing or selling alcohol to people under the age of 21 Offense: Misdemeanor Fine: Up to $6,250 (jailable)
Allowing Alcohol Consumption by Minors A person who knowingly allows alcohol consumption by people under the age of 21 on their property or allows minors to remain on the property after consuming Offense: Violation Fine: Up to $1,000
Open Container/Consumption in Public Consumption of alcohol or possession of an open alcoholic beverage container is prohibited in all public places and private places extended to the public. Offense: Crime Fine: Up to $500 (jailable)
Prohibited Noise Continuing to make any noise that injures or could injure another person or annoys a reasonable person. Operating or permitting the use or operation of a sound production device between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. that can be heard in a separate dwelling. Also applicable on public property and streets if the sound can be heard from more than 50 feet. Offense: Crime Fine: Up to $500 (jailable); up to $1,500 (jailable) for failing to stop the noise after 30 minutes after a notice or citation or for a similar noise disturbance within six months of receiving a citation.
Interfering with a Police Officer Intentionally acting in a manner that prevents officers from performing their lawful duties regarding another person or refusing to obey an officer’s lawful order Offense: Misdemeanor Fine: Up to $6,250 (jailable)
Disorderly Conduct Intentionally causing a public inconvenience or annoyance or recklessly engaging in such behavior, including (1) fighting or violent behavior, (2) making unreasonable noise, (3) disturbing a lawful assembly, (4) blocking traffic, (5) refusing to leave when asked, (6) spreading a false report of a fire, crime or other emergency, (7) creating a dangerous or offensive condition. Offense: Crime Fine: Up to $1,000 (jailable)
Rioting Five or more people engaging in violent behavior, intentionally and recklessly creating a risk of public harm. Offense: Felony Fine: Up to $125,000 (jailable)
[email protected] Information about these laws and ordinances are from an EPD news release.