By Melissa Sue Johnson
Almost every weekend, and sometimes weekdays, there is a party in Provo.
Most of these parties are thrown by college students, and often neighbors, passerbys, and sometimes even other students complain about them.
The Provo Police Department receives four to five noise disturbance calls every day, the majority of these being parties. Over 200 noise disturbance calls have been made to three BYU-approved housing neighborhoods just this year.
Students complain that their rights are being abused, and many get upset and believe they can just go on having the party. But the fines and penalties can be pretty hefty when students ignore the police calls.
“Students do not realize what can happen to them,” said Sgt. Mark Troxel.
When police are called to the party the first time, they warn the head of the party about the consequences of continuing their party. Students can be charged up to $500 for security, damages, and injuries.
“Students usually comply after our coming the first time, but when they do not, it is a problem,” Troxel said.
When police are called a second time to a party, the police are automatically hired on as security for the party – at the expense of the person holding the party.
Students can be issued citations, arrested, and taken to court by the city and by the property owners.
Students are also required to pay for any damage to city property and any injury to police officers. The students are also usually liable for damages to the place of the party by the owners of the property.
Many students have complained that when the police came to their parties, they did not properly inform them of what happened.
“Some of the police were just rude. They were jerks, yelling at us because we had a party,” said Adam Esplin, a senior from Fort Collins, Colo., majoring in economics.
Esplin said they were not really making trouble, not to the extent the police said.
Troxel says the police never make any move toward fees or citations until they are certain those holding the party have been properly informed.
