Even a late date change and months concern over the level of police enforcement could not taint the Mifflin Street Block Party, as 20,000 people packed into the 400 and 500 blocks of Mifflin Street Saturday to celebrate the annual spring bash.
Approximately 125 Madison Police Department command staff and officers were assigned to work the block party and were deployed at 10 a.m., making their first arrests at about 11 a.m.
After the kegs were dry and the partygoers cleared out, 225 people were cited and 317 total charges were given primarily for city ordinance violations, according to an MPD press release.
Despite the increase in Mifflanders cited from last year, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he was pleased with how the block party transpired this year.
\By many measurements it was a very successful party,"" Verveer said. ""There were some fights and some idiots throwing beer cans from porches that put a damper on things, but overall things were very laid back.""
However, Verveer said he was disappointed in the inconsistent ways certain officers enforced the noise ordinance Saturday.
""The vast majority of cops were totally awesome,"" Verveer said. ""There were a few cops that were assigned to regulate only house parties on Saturday and, since Mifflin's always been about the music, it seems that some cops were potentially unreasonable in the way they enforced the noise ordinance.""
UW-Madison senior Jeff Eilbes said the party went well but he encountered problems with the law enforcement.
""The cops took my information down and said they were probably going to come back next week and have some tickets for us,"" Eilbes said. ""It's kind of like selective persecution. I think there should have been more universal enforcement as far as what they decided to enforce, because it seems no one really knew what they could do or what they couldn't do.""
Verveer said the MPD checked keg receipts at liquor stores this year and came to the party on Saturday with the names, addresses and number of kegs various Mifflin Street residents had purchased.
""With that knowledge they paid particularly close attention to houses that ordered larger numbers of kegs,"" he said.
The MPD will be taking enforcement action on 10 different house parties that were dispensing alcohol without a permit and procuring for underage persons as early as this week. Police will also be mailing additional citations to some of the people that received only one citation.
Verveer said he does not expect anyone to party on May 7 and urged anyone with the inclination to party on Saturday to ""think twice about it.""
Although the final police costs will not be known for a few days, Verveer was confident that the fine revenue generated would be sufficient to cover any costs to the city the block party accrued.
""I would really be shocked if the police costs were not covered by the fine revenue because so many people were ticketed,"" Verveer said.
