Eugene police renew party patrol at UO

Eugene police on Thursday restarted their intermittent “party patrol” efforts in neighborhoods surrounding the University of Oregon campus, one night after officers fielded several reports of loud music and noisy gatherings in the student-heavy area.

After-hours revelry in the area is expected to continue — and could ramp up — this weekend before the start of fall-term classes at both the UO and Lane Community College on Monday.

Police say they aren’t out to bust every house party that they come across, but they need to assert a nighttime presence south and west of campus to respond quickly to the complaints that neighbors are expected to make in the coming days regarding unruly gatherings.

“The Eugene Police Department doesn’t hunt down parties. We respond to citizen complaints,” acting police Lt. David Natt said.

“Not everybody living in these neighborhoods is there to drink copious amounts of alcohol and make excessive noise.”

A number of late-September, alcohol-fueled gatherings have spilled onto neighborhood streets and turned into riot-style confrontations with police over the years. The last such scene played out in 2010 when officers used tear gas to break up a crowd of about 400 partygoers.

Natt said officers were called to quiet several noisy parties near campus last weekend. Police received five similar reports between 10 p.m. Wednesday and 2 a.m. Thursday, including one that involved an unidentified person who had been seen throwing bottles at passers-by, police said.

“So far, it’s pretty much been the same as it always is around this time of year,” said resident Deborah Healey.