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2nd balcony fall draws fines
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by Aubre Andrus
Thursday, February 3, 2005
When UW freshman Sean Weas fell from a balcony at a College Court party Jan. 21, the first reaction of witnesses was to call police for Weas’ safety. However, long after the party ended, each of the party’s six hostesses received citations for more than $5,000.
Weas spent two nights in the UW Hospital but suffered no permanent damage.
According to Capt. Mary Schauf of the Madison Police Department, if there is an unsafe party, the police department will take action. Even a safe party could result in expensive citations if alcohol is sold, she added.
“Our stance is that we will always be there to provide emergency service, but it doesn’t necessarily excuse someone’s behavior,” Schauf said. “I would say if you had someone injured as a result of your party, it’s your obligation that they get proper care.”
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said it is a common operating procedure for police to return to a house or an apartment at a later date and issue citations for all of the roommates that were present at a party.
“It’s normal for cops to come back later with a mountain of tickets,” Verveer said. “It’s not as if these women were made examples … by the cops.”
UW freshman Jason Gratzl fell from a second-story balcony on Mifflin Street last August and sustained serious injuries. According to Schauf, the party on Mifflin Street was different because it consisted of only a few friends drinking, as opposed to the crowded public house party on College Court.
“The circumstances were very different, but I do believe that we did follow up with some citations as well,” Schauf said.
Verveer said he is worried the thought of expensive citations may discourage students from calling for help if someone is injured at a party.
“I am concerned that some students may feel hesitant about calling 9-1-1 for assistance in the future,” Verveer said. “I would hope that no one would ever think twice.”
City Council increased fines of drinking-related citations in October, before Halloween, and most tickets increased more than $100 from their original fine. Dispensing alcohol without a permit increased to $660.
Verveer said he was surprised each student was issued multiple counts of the citations, even with the increased costs. Each of the six roommates was cited with five counts for dispensing alcohol without a permit, five counts for supplying alcohol to underage persons and one count for consuming alcohol underage.
Sue Crowley, director of Policy Alternatives Community Education, a campus group dedicated to reducing the consequences of binge-drinking, said there have been two falls from balconies at campus parties recently and students should pay attention and recognize when a situation is risky.
“What the campus and city police are trying to get across to the students is that there is a consequence to your behavior if you choose to ignore the laws,” Crowley said. “We almost had another extremely serious accident as a result of the party.”
Anonymous (February 7, 2005 @ 5:36pm):
$5,000 worth of tickets is extreme and as a student i agree that people are getting too scared to call the police in emergency situations. Fines like this are unreasonable and make me think that cops care more about giving tickets than whether or not people are ok and that just plain makes me nervous.
Anonymous (February 7, 2005 @ 5:36pm):
$5,000 worth of tickets is extreme and as a student i agree that people are getting too scared to call the police in emergency situations. Fines like this are unreasonable and make me think that cops care more about giving tickets than whether or not people are ok and that just plain makes me nervous.
