Hoping to improve the relationship between students and law enforcement, the Metropolitan Police Department, in conjunction with the Student Safety Advisory Board, plans to publicize and more strictly enforce its procedures for responding to off-campus parties in the coming weeks.
According to the department guidelines, MPD officers will issue a warning to a homeowner the first time that they are called to a house because of a disruptive party. If MPD officers are required to return to a home more than once in one night, the students living there will be subject to fines or arrest.
Members of SSAB, who initiated discussions with MPD in the fall, will distribute door hangers publicizing the policy and other recommendations to students living in Burleith and West Georgetown within the next two weeks.
MPD Second District Sergeant Carlos Bundy, who took part in the discussions, said that while MPD officers usually follow the procedures, officers have discretion to vary punishments based on the circumstances they encounter.
“Some parties are out of control [and] a warning is just not sufficient,” Bundy said.
Vice President for University Safety David Morrell said that MPD “has been very positive about informing their department.”
Shannon Mullen (COL ’08), an SSAB member, said that the door hangers are the result of an ongoing dialogue that began when the group approached MPD last October after several students living off-campus expressed frustration with the way officers responded to parties.
“The way the dialogue started was [with MPD’s] main complaints with students and our main complaints with MPD. Almost all of it was based on pure misunderstanding and lack of communication,” Mullen said.
Bundy said that MPD felt students were not cooperating when officers responded to noise complaints.
“I voiced my concern about some of the students being a distraction once MPD arrives on the scene of disorderly loud parties,” he said.
Charlie Amadon (COL ’07), a member of SSAB, said that local groups and neighbors were receptive to the SSAB-MPD initiatives at an Alliance for Local Living meeting on Tuesday.
“The neighbors present at the ALL meeting were very enthusiastic about the project,” Amadon said. “All voiced strong support for our initiative . to generate further consensus between Georgetown University students and the PD.”
One side of the door hanger lists MPD procedures, as well as how PD expects students to respond when officers arrive at parties. Homeowners are instructed to cooperate with MPD, turn down loud music, keep guests from mingling around the house and not bring any cups outside. The other side of the door hanger will display a map of the SafeRides routes.
Mullen said that SSAB decided to distribute door hangers because they would be highly visible.
“We thought it was really valuable because . it helps neighbors with noise complaints. It helps students to know a clear process for encounters with MPD and how to handle situations, and it helps MPD,” Mullen said. “As long as students and MPD are on the same page, situations can be more easily resolved.”
Posters displaying the information on the door hangers will also be displayed in on-campus residences and other locations around campus.
Director of Off-Campus Student Life Chuck VanSant, who is working with SSAB to organize hanger distribution, said that the instructions for students dealing with MPD were discussed in off-campus student life orientation sessions held before the school year began.
“To have that kind of information in such a concise way and put it in such a convenient place is very helpful,” VanSant said.
Mullen said SSAB will use student feedback to determine if the door hangers are effective. She said SSAB is also considering asking for reactions to the door hangers in its annual survey taken at the end of the school year.
“It’s a significant accomplishment for students to have this first-time, formalized operation between students and PD,” Morrell said. “So now the test is: Is it going to hold up?”