[media-credit name=’MATTHEW KUTZ/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]As with every annual Mifflin Street Block Party, city police expect a high level of intoxication among the majority of people attending the party.

And students especially are concerned with the possible consequences they will receive if the police confront them during the party.

"Some people can have a nice time, drink some beverages, enjoy that and not get unreasonable," Madison Police Capt. Mary Schauf said. "But other people do the same thing and get into behavior that provokes fights."

Displaying that kind of behavior, Schauf said, will draw officers' attention and is usually the cause of citations.

In the past years, the acts for which students have been ticketed include underage drinking, serving alcohol without a license, disorderly conduct and public urination, among others.

Schauf said most partygoers who are arrested and released later in the day, but she did not rule out the possibility of jail. She notes it's a "pretty expensive" experience.

Schauf said tickets start at more than $100 and can exceed thousands of dollars in cases like serving alcohol to underagers.

"If you serve 10 underage people, and you get caught, you can be fined for each individual served," she said. "And a second offense [within 30 months] can be a criminal charge."

Additionally, Schauf said the use of fake IDs is often one of the biggest delays in issuing tickets. She added nine of the 10 times, officers will catch the fake ID. Students who try to lie or use such fake IDs could face an additional charge for obstructing justice.

Partygoers are also reminded to adhere to the city-mandated glassware ban on Mifflin Street. Even having an iced tea in a glass will be a violation, Schauf added.

The ban, passed by City Council, is intended to keep partygoers safe from injury while also preventing the possibility of throwing the bottles at others.

Though the ban can only preside over public property, Schauf encouraged people to refrain from using glass bottles on private property, too.

She added that yards, porches and backyards fall into private property and partygoers cannot be charged with having an open intoxicant in this area. However, sidewalks and streets are considered public property and subject to open intoxicant law.

While police work to keep the party peaceful, the Mifflin Street Co-op is working to make the party fun.

According to K. P. Whaley, one of the managers of the neighborhood establishment, the co-op will be selling food items in front of the store during the party.

"We want to join the block party and make it a way to raise some needed funds for our store," he said. "It's our attempt to get back into things."

The co-op, located on Bassett Street, will be selling three types of beer, slices of pizza from Pizza Extreme and ice cream from Ben and Jerry's, among other food.

Whaley said Saturday's upcoming party will help connect the store with the neighborhood again, noting the grocery store once sponsored the party for most of its history.

"The block party is important to the community," he said. "That's why I'd like to see Mifflin Street Co-op incorporated with the block party in the future."

Overall though, officers hope to ensure safety at the party. Schauf urged students to be responsible and to avoid detox or a trip to the hospital.

This year, police expect people to clear the public property by 9 p.m.

Watch Out —

$172: Depositing human waste

$172: 1st offense underage consumption

$298: 2nd offense underage consumption within 12 months

$298: Possessing/Consuming an alcohol beverage on public property

$361: Procuring alcohol to an underage person

$676: Dispensing alcohol without a permit