FULLERTON : ‘Flyer Parties’ May Soon Be Shot Down

It may become risky business to throw a house party in Fullerton if the City Council passes an ordinance banning “flyer parties.”

Police Chief Philip A. Goehring told the council last week that it is dangerous for people to have parties and charge admission. Goehring said alcohol is frequently served to underage party-goers, and disruption and violence result.

The parties are often publicized through photo-copied flyers, which means that the hosts may not know many of the guests, Goehring said.

Robert Ward, a Placentia resident whose son, Ty Aaron Stout, was stabbed to death at a flyer party in 1990, urged the council to outlaw such gatherings.

“They are not social occasions,” he said. “They are commercial ventures and are designed to get out of control.”

Goehring told the council that four people have been killed in Orange County at such parties since 1990.

Typically, he said, 300 to 400 people will arrive at a party and often disturb the neighbors.

He said his officers are sometimes confronted by angry party-goers, who may damage police property or injure the officers.

Ward told the council that some party organizers actually want the parties to turn violent and then be closed down by the police.

“The sooner that party gets out of control, the more money these young organizers make,” Ward said. Because the entrance fee includes drinks, the hosts will save money on the beverages they didn’t have to serve if the party is broken up early, he said.

Goehring said the revelers sometimes cause such a disturbance that the hosts call the police themselves.

Council members Chris Norby and Richard C. Ackerman asked Goehring if the police couldn’t contain the problem with existing laws.

Officers can only respond if a party is too loud or is serving alcohol to minors, Goehring said. By that time, he said, it may be too late to prevent violence.

Goehring said he wants the Police Department to be able to nip flyer parties in the bud by warning those who advertise that they will be violating the law.

The proposed maximum penalties are $1,000 fines or six months in jail.

The proposed ordinance is modeled on one passed by the city of Brea in August and excludes parties organized to raise funds for political, charitable, community service or religious organizations.

Norby pointed out that the proposed ordinance still permits flyer parties outside the city’s residential areas--in rented halls or clubs.

“I think a lot of the parents who have . . . had their children have parties (while the parents were away) will appreciate this,” said Councilwoman Molly McClanahan, who joined in the unanimous approval of the first reading of the ordinance.