Several months ago, Junior David Naden threw a party at his off-campus residence. A neighbor called Somerville Police to file a noise complaint (as neighbors are wont to do). Somerville Police officers soon arrived and informed Naden of the complaint.
When he asked what he should do, they responded that as long as he turned the music down and closed the windows to avoid disturbing the neighbors, the shindig could continue unabated. Naden thanked the officers, bade them farewell, and was just beginning to get his groove back when a second set of officers arrived from the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD). The officers informed him that there had been a noise complaint made against him by his neighbors and that the police would have to write him up.
This is silly. In essence, two groups of police officers (SPD and TUPD) arrived independently to respond to the same noise complaint. While cooperation between TUPD and the Somerville and Medford Police Departments makes sense in some cases, the arrangement should work more efficiently if it is going to work at all.
While some students would cheer the removal their residences from TUPD's, their cheers become noticeably fainter when informed that they would then be subject to arrest by Somerville cops for their partying antics. Disciplinary action by the university, as many students are aware, is often more forgiving in this area.
While TUPD has made clear that their authority does not and should not end at the edge of campus, asking two different police departments to cover the same ground is both unreasonable and inefficient. Primarily, it is unfair to the Medford and Somerville cops, who are forced to respond to the noise violations of boisterous house parties when they could be devoting their attentions to more pressing law enforcement matters. Also, Captain Mark Keith has told the Daily that TUPD often has more units available when noise complaint responses are needed.
Every year, about 250 violent crimes are committed in the city of Somerville. Would we really prefer that Somerville police spend their time wresting the alcohol from the kung fu grip of an intoxicated student? TUPD exists to protect the university and the students who attend, and it should be permitted and mandated to fulfill that purpose.
And now, a policy proposal. The university already has the address of every Tufts student, regardless of where he or she lives. The current policy states that SPD and MPD will call TUPD if a house that they are about to visit likely contains a Tufts student.
Why not make it simpler? When Somerville or Medford receives a noise complaint, they should check the database of Tufts student addresses to determine whether the residents are students of the university. If so, the town police department should call TUPD, which would dispatch officers to the address. The student only plays host to one set of officers, and TUPD and SPD need not waste time and manpower by responding to the same complaint twice. Somerville or Medford would, of course, retain the right to respond if there was a particular reason, or if backup was required.
With this plan, students would avoid the annoyance of two responses for the same offense, and Somerville, Medford and TUPD could use their resources more efficiently. Regardless of which plan the police departments choose to adopt, it is imperative that the students living off campus be informed of their rights and of the police policy.
These days, it is rare to find a solution that pleases both the students and the police department. It would be remiss, therefore, not to jump on this one.
