It is the start of a new school year, which will be celebrated with music and parties. The Tucson Police Department wants everyone to have fun but wants to encourage safety and remind everyone to be good neighbors. 

Acknowledge your responsibility for gatherings you host. Inform your neighbors in advance of the party and communicate mutual concerns and potential resolutions. Consider sharing your phone number with your neighbors so they may call you first.

Letting your neighbors know you are having a party doesn’t mean you can allow it to become unruly — you can still be cited if a member of the public calls the police. They can give their name or be a refused complainant. Don’t wait until the second complaint from your neighbor to address their concerns. Turn the music down or start winding things down by picking up trash and asking people to leave if needed. If a gathering gets out of control, you as the host can call the police for our help.

RELATED: Red tags: The afterlife of the party

Keep guest lists to a minimum, especially if you have a small place and you know people will end up outside causing it to be loud. Remember you are responsible for all guests, even the ones who are uninvited. Be careful with social media invitations as everyone will share it with someone else, and before you know it, hundreds of people will be at your home. Don’t serve alcohol to minors as you can be arrested.

The Red Tag Unit is available to answer questions from management, landlords, community members and students such as: What is an Unruly Gathering? What happens if someone receives a citation? What if a residence has a notice posted, and what happens next?

The Red Tag Unit may be reached at (520) 837-7318 or redtag@tucsonaz.gov for questions, meet and greets and/or presentations.

Follow the Daily Wildcat on Twitter