It’s your choice: make it wisely
Commentary
Jim
Hill
With fall comes a host of tradi
tions. Students are returning to
campus, football and soccer
games are being played and old
friends are getting back together
after the summer. One tradition
that we have seen over the past
two years has been a desire on the
part of some people to engage in a
major confrontation with police
on Halloween night. Some tradi
tions are not worth maintaining
— this is one of them.
It is not my intent to lecture,
threaten or insult the intelligence
of the young adults in our com
munity. What I want to do is
speak honestly and openly about
some choices that all of us have to
face in the coming days and
weeks.
This weekend many of you will
have a choice of what you will be
doing. There will be a number of
special events happening
throughout Eugene this weekend,
and many of you will choose to
attend some of these events.
There will be a big football game
at Autzen Stadium on Saturday,
and I know that many of you will
choose to go to the game. It’s
Homecoming weekend at the
University, and many of you will
choose to attend some of the
events connected with this tradi
tion. I also know that many of you
will choose to go to at least one
Halloween party on Friday, Satur
day or Sunday night.
From the perspective of the Eu
gene Police Department, our
choice would be NOT to be in the
West University neighborhood, or
any other neighborhood, manag
ing the behavior of intoxicated
young people. Our choice would
be NOT to deploy tear gas, arrest
people and answer news re
porters and community members’
questions about why disrespect
ful behavior continues to plague
the community.
This isn’t about having fun. In
fact, we have worked very hard to
tell the community how to have
fun without getting the police in
volved. I also know that the vast
majority of young people, Univer
sity students included, do respect
each other and the police and that
only a small number become in
volved in rioting.
Members of the Eugene Police
Department, in partnership with
the University, have been work
ing for the past year passing out
brochures, talking with students
and parents, talking with land
lords and meeting with and talk
ing to student associations
spreading the message that there
is a way to have fun without get
ting the police involved. Given
the choice, we would rather not
go to someone’s house and close
down their party. We try to talk
with everyone who buys a keg
about how to have a great party
without getting a citation for
noise violation or for serving mi
nors. What we have found is that
most people, once they realize
that we can be reasonable, are
anxious to cooperate. That’s a
win-win situation.
Unfortunately, parties do not
always end up with a win-win
outcome. In fact, we have had
more problems this year than ever
before with people either misun
derstanding the law or making a
conscious choice to disregard it.
The result has been people either
being arrested or cited. A little co
operation would have made the
situation better for everyone.
When 17 officers have to spend
two or three hours clearing out a
party, it means that the rest of the
community is being told that offi
cers are not available to help them
with their problem or issue. I of
ten hear frustration from commu
nity members that our resources
are diverted to manage parties.
I think it’s important for people
to understand the potential seri
ous consequences of participating
in a riot, or even remaining in the
immediate area of a disturbance
after being asked by the police to
leave. A person failing to disperse
after being requested to do so by
police is subject to arrest for dis
orderly conduct. Persons throw
ing rocks or bottles should be ar
rested, and we will do our utmost
to do so. This can mean serious
jail time, a criminal record and
potential civil penalty. Police of
ficers may sue the person or per
sons responsible for causing their
injury just as any other person
might do.
If necessary we will try to pre
vent injuries to police officers or
other persons by using a new de
fensive weapon that fires a “bean
bag.” The beanbag is designed to
momentarily incapacitate with
out a serious injury. I have an
obligation to both officers and
others to prevent serious injuries
that can result from thrown ob
jects. I believe this to be a justifi
able option for selectively dealing
with individuals who are engaged
in dangerous, unlawful behavior.
But given a choice, we would
rather NOT arrest anyone, we
would rather NOT send any po
lice officer to the emergency room
with a life-threatening head in
jury and we would rather NOT
have to use a beanbag round on a
party-goer who thinks it’s all right
to threaten someone’s life with a
rock or a bottle. I do not want to
replicate the experience of the
Boulder, Colo., police department
where a police officer was hit in
the head with a brick and perma
nently disabled.
This is about choices. Your
choices will dictate what our
choices will be this coming week
end. We don’t want to spend the
weekend breaking up your party.
I hope the choices you make will
reflect your respect for the lives,
safety and property of others. You
have a choice — I’m asking you to
please make a good one.
Jim Hill Is the Eugene police chief. His views do
not necessarily represent those of the Emerald.
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