This year's Mifflin Street Block Party will have a city-imposed limit of four kegs per house for the first time ever.
According to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, the Madison Police Department believes the party needs to be downsized for safety reasons. Last year's party had the largest attendance of any year since 1996, when the party became a riot, Verveer said. However, last year went smoothly and Verveer said he did not see enough reasons for the new restrictions.
\I thought that four kegs was not a reasonable number,"" Verveer said.
In past years, some houses on Mifflin Street have had more than four kegs, UW-Madison senior and Mifflin Street resident Tegen Oakman said.
""Everywhere I saw last year had more than [four kegs],"" Oakman recalled. ""The guys next to us had like 45 [kegs] and I know that they ran out so four kegs a house probably won't last.""
Police may not enter private houses without probable cause of an emergency or serious crime being committed, Verveer said. Enforcement will probably come if an excess number of kegs are spotted on porches, being delivered or being thrown out from one house. Verveer gave assurances that there will not be undercover officers entering houses to look for kegs.
""I think the only way to enforce it would be to talk to the people who actually sell the kegs,"" said UW-Madison junior and Mifflin Street resident David Paige.
The police crackdown is probably because of the Halloween riots last year, Paige said. He said people were wild at last year's Mifflin party, but added there were not any problems.
""I think it could actually be a bigger problem to have less kegs because if all these people that want more alcohol are going around looking for more they will just get mad and start causing trouble if they are looking for alcohol and nobody has any,"" Paige said.
The four-keg policy will be enforced under an existing city statute regarding alcohol distribution and liquor licenses, Verveer said. He explained further that the police department's motivation for the ban is understandable given that an ever-growing number of students and visitors descend on two city blocks of wooden frame, century-old houses every year.
""I don't think that anyone is going to follow it, I mean, we're not,"" Oakman said.
