At any given house party, there are two objectives: have a good time and don't end up handcuffed on the lawn.
Those objectives are often achieved by sheer luck. Obnoxious guests and poor crowd control can slide on busy police nights or when neighbors are feeling especially generous. However, it's when the fuzz does come knocking that the realities of irresponsible partying can result in heavy consequences.
"Typically, we don't break up parties simply because they're loud. It's usually underage drinking and disorderly conduct, or the old urinating on Mrs. Smith's rose bushes," says Vermillion Police Chief Art Mabry.
For the sake of the hosts, guests and Mrs. Smith's rose bushes, there are a number of things to consider before throwing the next big party.
Possibly the most important is establishing party parameters with the neighbors, which can include notification of an upcoming party, when it will end and promises to clean up afterward.
"Neighbors are more tolerant when you stick to a plan," says Mabry, whose department receives numerous noise complaints each weekend.
But even the most tolerant neighbor has a breaking point. With any house party, controlling the crowd and party boundaries is key.
If the cops do arrive, it usually stems from a neighborhood complaint, although an officer is required to witness a noise violation firsthand to issue a formal verbal warning, Mabry says. The minimum boundary is the property line, and oftentimes officers find the complaints unfounded, Mabry added.
Noise complaints work on somewhat of a three-strike system. On the first valid violation, officers will approach a residence and issue the tenants a verbal warning. On second violation, tenants are notified and placed on noise probation. At this point, the residents must comply with the city's noise ordinances for six months with the lingering threat of strike three, a misdemeanor noise violation.
However, what most people don't understand is that party busts can and do occur at any stage.
Underage drinkers and people carrying open containers to and from a house are red flags for police checking out noise complaints.
"We usually sit back and do our homework before knocking on the door," Mabry says.
Cooperating with police is always a good idea. Slamming the door in a cop's face will usually lead to a search warrant and almost definitely discard any chance of leniency. So even when the police are showing up to issue the initial verbal warning, be mindful of your surroundings. Answer the door, but be aware that law enforcement will not overlook a backdrop of 500 underage drunks.
"If police are called to a property for any reason, don't expect immunity if underage drinking is going on," Mabry cautioned.
With underage students making up a large percentage of house party guests, tenants must understand the risks of allowing underage drinking at their parties.
Police sting operations have done nothing to lessen the level of paranoia. Mabry says a general rule of thumb is to know who your guests are. Sting operatives should be easy to identify in an under-control party atmosphere, he says.
Even if a tenant is under the age of 21, he or she can still be charged with contributing to minors. If 60 people are cited for underage consumption at a given house party, each tenant listed on the lease and present can expect 60 charges of contributing, any number of other charges, as well as the cost of the bust tacked onto their bill thanks to a recently adopted Vermillion city ordinance.
Mabry says the best bet is to control the alcohol and monitor the number of guests at a party. It's also a good idea to control traffic coming in and out of the party to ensure guests aren't noisily lingering outside.
As Mabry put it, "We don't go around looking for these things. They come to us."
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