As the weather warms up, and colleges wrap up the spring semester... that means outdoor parties will be common. But recently, Amherst police say parties in the college town are becoming more violent rather than fun.

"We are certainly gearing up for the busy spring weekends," said Lt. Jennifer Gundersen, Amherst Police Department. "Historically, once the weather is warm and the snow is gone, (party) activity increases substantially."

So far, that has been the case in several Amherst neighborhoods near the UMass and Amherst College campuses. Last week, police dealt with several incidents that involved several injuries including a student who was beaten with a metal pipe, and a police officer whose hand was sliced open after one partier threw a bottle. Several others were taken to the hospital.

"There's definitely the bigger parties where problems arise because there's just too many people in close quarters," said Russell Brewer, a student at UMass.

Students in the Phillips Street, and Triangle Street neighborhood where many of the incidents happened say it is only a few bad apples that are ruining the reputation of their community.

"It's absolutely not a problem unless you interfere with other people," said Ben Skelly, a student at UMass.

And now, Amherst Police are stepping up patrols. CBS 3 found several cruisers driving up and down streets Friday night, making sure the outdoor weekend parties don't get out of hand.

"There are a lot of violent happenings around here lately, but at the same time I think they're overdoing it in areas where there's no violence and they're still cracking down and arresting kids," said Micaella Panessiti, a UMass student.

And some neighbors say they will feel a little safer with more police in the area.

"I'm glad they're trying to keep a lid on it but I don't think they should be too heavy handed," said Jim Turner, who lives between two houses of UMass students.

Amherst Police said that, around graduation the parties are more and more common, especially with the infamous "Hoebart Hoedown" in early May. Police said the stepped up patrols will be around until the end of the semester.