Over the last three years on Halloween, the Ellensburg police department has had to deal with an increased rate of crimes, involving DUI’s, assaults, property damage, public urination, and noise complaints.

All of these crimes included the over consumption of alcohol.

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, making it important to remember there will be more police out.

Corporal Brian Melton, a Central campus officer of 15 years, shared some advice for the weekend.

“The big thing is to not drink in excess, if you’re old enough to. Remember to have a designated driver [DD]. If you are the DD, one or two drinks are not okay. Be the DD if you say you will. Go out in a group and stay with that group. If you have a friend visiting, make sure they have your address on them,” Melton said. “If you don’t open it, it’s not yours, even water and other non-alcoholic beverages and don’t leave your drinks unattended.”

On Saturday, until midnight, any student can call (509) 963-2950 and get a Courtesy Assistance Team to walk with them anywhere on campus.

Now that Halloween is falling on a Saturday, this possibly means an increasing number of crimes commonly committed on this night.

A DUI can mean the end of scholarships. No one wants to lose their driver’s licenses, and a $5000 fine for a DUI is a lot to pay for a college student, especially with the price of college tuition.

Getting into a fight not only could mean getting hurt or hurting someone else, but, if you are downtown, it could mean  gaining an assault charge.

“Everyone is out to have a good time, over consumption is the problem, I would say if you’re of legal drinking age. Know your limits and how you respond to alcohol,” Corporal Melton said.

One of the best ways to avoid making these mistakes is knowing yourself, your limits and how to know when you have had too much.

When you know you get angry and violent when you drink whisky, maybe stick to beer. Maybe you’re like the Joe Nicole’s song “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off,” but it’s maybe not the best idea on Halloween.

Taylor Swift, senior biochemistry major, said that her first Halloween in Ellensburg wasn’t a great experience.

“Freshman year, one of my good friends got into a fight with a guy who was twice his size. Not only that, but three of the guys friends, who were just as big, joined in,” Swift said. “I had to pull him out and take him home and he was bleeding a lot.”

These types of events can ruin a night and are far from worth it.

For those of you planning to throw a party, remember a noise violation in Ellensburg is a $500 fine. Each noise violation after that increases another $500.

The most common areas that receive noise violations, according to the Ellensburg Police Department, are zones A21, A15, A18, A20 and A21 (refer to map).

Plus, there is a lot of damage caused by drunken college students. If you throw a party, it is always best to know who you are inviting.

Trevor Baumann, a former Central student, has seen a house party spin out of hand.

“We would throw house parties often, but we normally knew everyone who was there. Halloween, sophomore year,  got out of hand,” Baumann said. “Holes in the walls, someone threw a bottle at the house next door, which was a family who had little kids that played in the yard.”

When you throw a house party, you are responsible for the actions of the people who are present. You might not have thrown the bottle, but you’re responsible for dealing with it.

“Someone, the next day, left a bag of video games on our porch with a note saying sorry for being that drunk asshole who steals when he drinks,” Baumann said.

They were lucky that this person felt bad about stealing their stuff. In total, around $400 worth of games was returned.

Everything that happens on Halloween this year is a choice and those choices can have major consequences. Keep that in mind this year and be safe.