Police to step up ban on drinking near Autzen lots.

Byline: Greg Bolt The Register-Guard

This year might be last call for Autzen Stadium's tailgate refugees.

That's because Eugene police say it's past time to step up enforcement of a city ordinance that allows drinking in public on stadium property owned by the University of Oregon but prohibits it pretty much every place else. And that means all those Duck fans who have flocked to privately owned lots near the stadium for pregame festivities will have to lose the booze.

Maybe not this year, though.

Police Capt. Chuck Tilby said the department had planned to launch a preseason public education campaign this summer to prepare people for stricter enforcement of the long-standing alcohol ban. A lack of staff delayed that effort, Tilby said Monday, so even though public drinking remains illegal, officers will concentrate on education instead of enforcement for the home football season that kicks off Saturday against Stanford.

"We're probably going to back off a little bit on the enforcement side," Tilby said. "We understand that there's a substantial cultural connection with tailgating and football, and you don't change things overnight."

Alcohol long has been a problem for city police before, during and after the six or seven UO home football games each year.

Not all fans drink, but Tilby said he doesn't know of any other public event that combines more alcohol with more people, a mixture that invariably produces trouble.

That has increased as the Ducks have produced better teams and expanded Autzen to hold almost 20,000 more fans. At the same time, the Autzen parking lot has shrunk because of new athletic fields and facilities, leaving less room for tailgaters.

The result has been a booming sidelight for businesses near the stadium that sell game-day parking in their lots. And that, in turn, has expanded tailgating off Autzen's protected home in the stadium lot.

Even though the off-stadium lots are privately owned, the fact that they're open to the public puts them squarely under the city ordinance that prohibits drinking alcohol in public.

And Tilby said it's not fair to let football fans slide when other outdoor events have to either stay dry or get the necessary permits to serve liquor.

"One of the things we want to make sure that we do is enforce this ordinance across the board fairly to everybody," he said. "We don't want to have a certain enforcement posture all week except on game day."

As for people being allowed to drink in the stadium lot but not next door, Tilby said officers' hands are tied.

Police only can enforce the laws as they're written. And the city's anti-drinking codes exempt the Autzen parking lots, police said.

Because the city hasn't carried out its planned public information campaign yet, police plan to spread the word during this year's games.

Officers will cruise through the lots and talk to people about the ordinance and consequences for violations: a fine of up to $500 and/or 100 days in jail.

The focus will be education rather than enforcement, Tilby said, but revelers shouldn't get the idea that this year will be an anything-goes blowout. As in the past, people who overindulge and get out of line can expect - at least - a ticket to Municipal Court.

"If we get complaints about your behavior, there's no free pass," Tilby said. "We won't just ignore the law."