A 4 a.m. close for hotel bars proposed

Two city councilors, fed up with rowdy house parties but resigned to people drinking late at night, say that Boston should consider extending bar hours until 4 a.m. at hotels.

Councilors Paul J. Scapicchio of the North End and John Tobin of West Roxbury said residents are contending with big house parties, sometimes run by young people for profit, that bring noise and sometimes violence to their streets. The city should explore whether extended hours at hotels would cut down on the house parties, they said.

Police have launched an effort to combat the parties, but the operation is currently limited to one area of the city.

''It's good to watch out for public safety, but you can't be a city that closes down at 1 and not expect people to seek other avenues to recreate," Scapicchio said.

''Not everyone's bedtime is 1 o'clock," Tobin added.

Massachusetts law requires that all alcohol service end by 2 a.m. Daniel Pokaski, chairman of the Boston Licensing Board, said that discussions to allow patrons to drink at hotel bars past 2 a.m. have occurred in previous years, but that nothing happened.

''Boston's been parochial," Pokaski said. ''We're a city of neighborhoods. You're going to have residents who live next to or above the licensed premise, and they have a right to quiet."

Tobin and Scapicchio said they want to look into a pilot program of extending hotel bar hours to 4 a.m. They plan to present a proposal to the council in the next two weeks.

Councilor Jerry P. McDermott of Allston-Brighton vehemently opposed the idea of extending bar hours.

''If people want to go to a place where the bars are open until 4 a.m., then Boston's not the city for them," McDermott said.

A spokesman for Mayor Thomas M. Menino said last night that the mayor could not comment on the idea, because he has not seen a proposal. The measure would also require approval from the Legislature.

The councilors' remarks followed a City Council meeting yesterday during which Councilor Robert Consalvo of Hyde Park described Operation Party Time, the program launched by Boston police in Mattapan and Dorchester to curb house parties. The effort was begun in part because the parties have grown, evolving into elaborate, money-making operations in some cases.

Police say some party organizers make several thousand dollars by charging $5 to $10 per person and selling drinks.

Under Operation Party Time, officers break up the late night gatherings and confiscate DJ equipment and alcohol. They arrest organizers, bartenders, and doormen who work at for-profit parties, and charge them with disorderly conduct.

Party organizers woo patrons by handing out leaflets as bars and clubs close, said police Captain Timothy Murray of District B-3, which covers Mattapan and Dorchester. Some parties advertise by posting fliers on telephone polls or on the Internet, he said.

The late night parties had previously occurred mostly in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan. But over the past few years, they have spread to other areas, such as Hyde Park, Murray said.

Murray said the house parties spur violence, disturb residents, and can turn a neighborhood into a ''giant toilet," with inebriated partygoers vomiting and urinating on lawns and sidewalks.

According to Boston police data, about 17 percent of the shootings in the city last year occurred between 2 and 6 a.m. From January to March 20, 10 of 50 shootings happened during that four-hour period. Murray said he cannot attribute every one of these shootings to the parties, but he said such parties can be a catalyst to shootings and altercations.

''There's spillover violence," Murray said. ''If a problem develops inside the party, there could be retaliation outside."

Consalvo recommended the adoption of more comprehensive ordinances that would allow the city to fine the owners of the building where the parties are held, the renters of the unit, and the organizers. He also suggested that the city consider expanding Operation Party Time to other police districts.

Consalvo, who also represents parts of Mattapan, called for a hearing at yesterday's City Council meeting to discuss for-profit parties.

''We're not going to tolerate these after-hours parties," Consalvo said. ''It's detrimental to residents who need to get their sleep."

A date for the hearing has not been set.

Madison Park can be reached at mpark@globe.com.