The OTHER Kind of Party Line

After my rant the other day about annoying drunken student neighbors, here's a little update.

So I called the landlord, told her what had happened, and then I went and rang the neighbors bell. Because these things can fester if left untreated.

At first the neighbor was like "what party?" and then when I laughed out loud, he denied all raucous behavior. When I explained to him about the police log and the horror stories, he sort of admitted that maybe there had been a couple of people over for a few drinks.

I explained that I fully expected that he and his buds would get together for a "few drinks" but that the next time that they carried on like that until 4am and were rude to other neighbors when asked to turn it down, I would call the police, the landlady, Northeastern's Department of Public Affairs, and Santa for good measure to make sure they are put straight onto the "Naughty" list.

He was pretty genuinely apologetic, and I sort of felt like the crotchety old lady on the block. But then again who wouldn't be crotchety if roused from a good night's sleep at 4am by drunkards.

Then today, I got this from My Man on a Bike:

RESOURCE FOR CITY RESIDENTS TO REPORT AFTER-HOURS PARTIES

The Boston Police Party Line is now in service citywide. The purpose of the Party Line is to give city residents a direct contact for reporting the occurrence of loud after-hours parties. Please make note of the telephone number, which is 617-343-5500.

Police Commissioner Ed Davis stated, "As part of our ongoing efforts to address public safety concerns and the reduction of violent behavior, the citywide party line is yet another tool to gather intelligence and provide residents with an additional mechanism to communicate with police. Mayor Menino and I heard the communities concerns about this issue and we sought to quickly provide a solution."

The Party Line is citywide, and each District will be responsible for dispatching its own unit to the reported location. All reports will be investigated. Illegal sale of alcohol and/or disturbances will be cause for police action. Please be prepared with important details when reporting an incident, they include:

· address
· whether the party is inside or outside
· the floor or apartment number
· whether the Boston Police would be able to gain entry to the building
· the amount of time the party has been going on

If the call is concerning a party that is no longer in progress, the caller will be referred to the District Community Service Officer. The Boston Police Intelligence Unit will continue to closely monitor calls and information concerning planned or anticipated after-hours parties. In these cases, a District Duty Supervisor will be notified and preventative measures will be taken.

The Boston Police recommend that residents take full advantage of this service as a means of preventing late night disorderly behavior, the increased possibility of crime and other incidents that result from after-hours gatherings. Do remember that in a case of an emergency situation, please dial 911.

It seems like pretty useful information. I hope you never have to use it.

PS: If you are looking for THAT kind of party line, click here instead.