Don't be a nuisance this year

Shooting off fireworks, public urination, brawling and drinking on the sidewalk can result in a ticket. How much that ticket costs however depends on individual situations as well as cooperation.

Officers patrol The Hill to looking out for people’s safety, especially during a night of drinking. They look for signs of unruly behavior or excessively loud noises. They may stop in at a house to make sure everything is fine, however this can also be grounds for a nuisance ticket.

“I had heard that night that the cops had come but since I wasn’t there I thought I had escaped and that I was going to be cool and not get a ticket,” Senior Sally Peterson said. “But the next day, late in the afternoon, I got a call from a police man telling me to come down to the police station and pick up my ticket, otherwise there would be a warrant out for my arrest.”

Sarah Huntley, public information officer for the Boulder Police Department said the best way to avoid a harsher penalty is to be cooperative. “If an officer shows up at your party and they’ve received a complaint or the officer feels like something’s gotten out of hand, come out if you’re the host of the party, take ownership for the party and talk to the officer about how you can resolve it in a quick manner,” she said. “We would much rather be working in a cooperative way than issuing tickets. We try to avoid that.”

According to the City of Boulder Noise and Nuisance Party information Guide, “if a social gathering violates one or more of the 23 municipal ordinances listed in [the] code section, including all of the noise, trash, and alcohol ordinances, a police officer may declare the gathering a nuisance party.”

The maximum penalty for a nuisance ticket is up to $1000 and 90 days in jail. A lesser sentence includes community service, CU’s restorative justice program, alcohol classes or probation.

Currently, the city of Boulder is working with the community to amend the Nuisance Abatement Ordinance to further decrease nuisance issues in the area.

To see a full list of the ordinances that fall under the nuisance category, go to: http://www.colocode.com/boulder2/chapter5-3.htm#section5_3_11