Borough continues patrol of 'Street' as alcohol ordinance remains a threat

Borough officials suggested in May that they might revive discussion of the alcohol ordinance this fall, but the topic has not yet been brought to the table.

Mayor Marvin Reed said Borough officials are hoping to meet with administrators, student leaders and Public Safety this fall to resolve concerns that binge and underage drinking among students have become a problem in the community.

If talk of an alcohol ordinance were to resume, it would not be until at earliest November, he said.

"But that depends on how much progress we're making with Vice President [Janet] Dickerson, the new health official [Daniel Silverman] and Public Safety," Reed said.

While students might notice the Borough Police's high profile on Prospect Avenue, it is nothing new, Police Chief Charles Davall said.

"We're actually picking up where we left off last year," he said. "Last year in September we started enforcing the ordinances already on the books a little more strictly than we had before."

The number of citations issued this year are comparable to last year, Davall said.

During Lawnparties weekend, the police issued summonses to eight students, six of whom were underage, Capt. Anthony Federico said.

"Last year in September and October we wrote about 60 summonses," Davall said. "So [the number of citations during Lawnparties weekend is] an average number, especially for the first week students are back."

This past Saturday and Sunday, there were two transports to McCosh Health Center and one to Princeton Medical Center, Public Safety Crime Prevention Specialist Barry Weiser said.

Last year, Lawnparties were cancelled because of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.

During Freshman Week, two students were transported to McCosh and one to PMC for treatment of alcohol-related incidents, Weiser said.

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Federico said there was only one citation to a University student during Freshman Week, for an open container. The student was underage.

Daniel Silverman, director of health services, would not release the number of patients treated for alcohol-related injuries since students returned to campus.

Though Borough officials are happy those numbers have not escalated this year, there is a general consensus that eating club officers have not been as cooperative as they were in past years, Reed said.

"There was a problem in one of the clubs this spring when someone got ill and called 911," he said, "and we had a problem when whoever was at the door wouldn't let them in."

In August Davall began an outreach to club presidents, sending them a letter detailing current laws regarding the serving of alcohol.

In addition to concerns about alcohol violations, Davall said Borough Police will be less lenient with noise violations — issuing citations instead of warnings for repeat violators.

"[I]f the particular eating club creating the noise has a history of noise complaints, we will likely take enforcement action as opposed to issuing a warning," he wrote in the letter to club presidents.

Last spring the Borough asked the clubs and University to plant shrubbery as a sound barrier, protecting nearby residents from excessive noise, but no progress has been made on that project, Davall said.

Davall has since noticed that one club, which received numerous noise warnings last year, has taken down some problematic speakers.

The club's decision to remove the speakers may be indicative of a trend, as there were few noise violations during Lawnparties.

Since last fall, Borough Police has streamlined the way it issues summonses. While in the past, officers took students to the police station to cite them, police now hand out summonses on the 'Street,' yielding a greater number of citations, Davall said.

Talk of an alcohol ordinance, which would permit Borough Police to cite underage drinkers on private property, appears to have quieted, at least for now.

"There is no progress [on the alcohol ordinance] that I'm aware of," said Roger Martindell, a Borough councilman. "It would be in the public safety committee, and I don't recall it being on the agenda at the last several meetings."

Martindell, who does not support the ordinance, said he believes the Borough Police are doing a thorough job of regulating activity on the 'Street,' though he thinks the University should take a more active role in the matter.

"To the extent that [drinking on the 'Street'] remains a problem, the University should initiate appropriate action within . . . and keep the municipality out of it," he said.