The late-night “drunk bus” is gone, and Buffalo police are fining UB students $1,500 for throwing parties in the University Heights.
Seventeen students were arrested in the first two weeks of school and Buffalo police broke up several parties around South Campus neighborhoods on Friday evening and early Saturday. This is down from years past, according to UPD. Deputy Chief of Police Joshua Sticht said the low number of arrests may be due to BPD’s new option for deterring party-goers: the new “nuisance party” ticket, a civil ordinance that would not appear on a student’s criminal record. Although student arrests in the first two weeks are down slightly from past years, it’s not yet clear if the $1,500 “nuisance party” fine will work to dampen the party in the heights, said Sticht.
“I’m optimistic, but I don’t think one or two quiet nights is going to tell us. It’s hard to judge these things just by the numbers,” Sticht said, referring to the relatively quiet opening weekend in the University Heights.
Students who were arrested were mostly charged with unlawfully dealing of alcohol, in cases where police broke up parties with underage drinking, and criminal nuisance, the charge for holding a gathering in which criminal activity would take place.
The nuisance party ban received student backlash when announced last November, but Sticht said student reactions to the issue were not very strong.
“There was only one time, in all the students who were issued this ticket, that one student actually got into a shouting match with the officer,” Sticht said. “But it could be that students don’t realize what this fine means until they plead guilty or answer the summons and realize what they’ve been charged for.”
Sarah Crowley is the senior news editor and can be reached at sarah.crowley@ubspectrum.com
