East Lansing police officers could be a guest at large parties this fall.
Wearing plain clothes, officers will attempt to locate parties where alcohol is being illegally sold or provided to minors.
Police also hope to curtail incidents of fighting, date rape and larcenies, officers are visiting large parties to make sure they are under control, police officials said. The department’s Conflict Management Team is reinforcing the city’s ordinances by passing out pamphlets explaining rules residents should follow to avoid city violations.
Sgt. Scott Wrigglesworth said the team’s officers will issue a warning to party hosts before uniformed officers are called to issue violations and break up the gathering.
Wrigglesworth said the team’s goal is to prevent problems before they start.
“If we get 400 to 450 students at a party drinking, any amount of things could happen,” said Wrigglesworth, who is one of eight team members.
He said police don’t mind if students have responsible parties, but are concerned with keg parties and minors getting alcohol.
“It’s a softer way to get the point across,” Wrigglesworth said. “Once you get 100 or more people, you have to be able to control what happens on your premises.
“We explain to (residents) what they need to live by.”
If residents do not comply with police warnings, citations will be issued, Wrigglesworth said. The warnings are designed to educate those who might not be aware of noise ordinances and other city violations, he said.
Political science junior John Lynch, a first-year Gunson Street resident, said his neighbors were ticketed while hosting a party Sunday night. But police gave no warning, he said.
“They were just chillin’ and three police cruisers came up,” Lynch said. “They weren’t causing any trouble.”
Plain-clothed officers out to issue warnings could prove to be helpful, said Lynch, who moved off campus into a house to be more comfortable. But, “if they are doing it to peg people, it’s inappropriate.”
Last year, food industry management senior Troy Gulvas said he was ticketed twice in one night while throwing a party on Durand Street with hundreds of people in attendance.
“They just blow in here and give tickets,” Gulvas said. He said his main complaint is that he has never received a warning before getting a ticket. “They expect us to clear out a couple hundred people in 10 minutes, and that is not possible.”
Gulvas said he doesn’t want plain-clothed officers as uninvited guests at his parties, but favors uniformed officers policing the neighborhoods.
MSU police Lt. John McCandless said large parties have not been as big of a problem on campus as in East Lansing. McCandless attributes part of that to community policing and residence halls providing alcohol-free programs to students.
No-preference freshman Carla Neering, who lives in Hubbard Hall, said she crosses Grand River Avenue to East Lansing to attend large parties.
“We know people who are older, and they have houses off campus,” Neering said.
But large parties where alcohol is served freely should not be taken lightly, Alpha Gamma Rho President Nathan Nye said.
Nye’s fraternity parties on Evergreen Avenue do not not provide a common source of alcohol, but he said precautions are still taken, including having some fraternity members stay sober to monitor the party.
But an apartment party in East Lansing resulted in tragedy last year. The body of Eric Blair, an 18-year-old Bay City man, was found in the Red Cedar River in October - four days after consuming enough beer at an East Lansing party to get a .14 blood-alcohol level. The legal driving limit is less than .08.
Three MSU students were sentenced to probation, community service and fines in June after pleading guilty to supplying Blair with alcohol. Two other students were given similar sentences in May in connection with Blair’s death.
“I think it was really unfortunate what happened to him, but he made the decision to drink,” Nye said. “Maybe if people kept a closer eye on him, he wouldn’t have drowned in the river.”
