Liquor law violations rise from last year

“The majority of these were the result of our response to McCosh ... [in which] we found out, by investigation, that drinking occurred in the dorm rooms,” Borough Police Lt. Nick Sutter said. Between January and November of last year, the Borough recorded 32 liquor law offenses. As of the end of October of this year, 83 had been reported.

The report also notes that the number of Minors in Possession of Alcohol violations has decreased from 56 year-to-date last year to 13 this year.

Sutter noted, “We have been internally discussing this issue at length ... The department is charged with a duty to investigate how [the upswing in liquor law violations] happened and how students ended up in that position.”

“Do these investigations go up against the orange and black wall of silence?” Councilman Kevin Wilkes ’83 asked. Wilkes explained that University students tend not to report where they drank or obtained the alcohol.

Sutter acknowledged that “in general, these investigations are difficult.”

Sutter also noted that on a per-officer basis, driving while intoxicated (DWI) arrests are “exactly at last year’s average.” The overall number of DWI arrests is down from last year, Lt. Sharon Papp said at a Borough Council meeting last month. She noted at the meeting that the decrease could be the result of an understaffed police force. The Borough has been investigating the roughly 20 percent decline in DWIs year-to-date, Sutter said.

According to the police report, shoplifting citations decreased from 35 to 15 compared to the same time period last year, disabled vehicle reports have increased from 35 to 136, and incidents of urinating in public were down from 95 to 40.

Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi also presented a budget preview for 2009 during the meeting, announcing that next year’s budget is currently $1.3 million more than 2008’s.

Bruschi added that the Finance Committee set a goal to not increase salaries or taxes in the Borough in the upcoming year.

The council discussed possible ways to cut costs. Suggestions from Bruschi allowed for cuts of roughly $800,000 of the $1.3 million.

Councilman Andrew Koontz asked about the possibility of a Mercer County-wide police dispatch system instead of a Princeton-specific one. Bruschi said that the county was already taking over more fire department and first aid responsibilities as of Jan. 1, but that the police had not been part of these discussions.

Wilkes said he thought the Borough should look into reducing both the sheer number of police officers and the training costs for remaining officers.

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The council agreed that these issues would be addressed at a Dec. 23 budget meeting.

Councilman Roger Martindell later challenged a resolution regarding a mediation agreement between the Borough and developers Nassau HKT Urban Renewal Associates (NHKT). Martindell said the wording of the resolution would allow NHKT to use unfair tactics during the mediation.

The Borough and NHKT have been working together on the “Park/Plaza Redevelopment Area in the Borough,” according to the resolution.

Martindell also said that the wording of the resolution restricted the Borough Council members’ first amendment rights to speak about the mediation.

Borough Attorney Karen Cayci responded that the mediation process encourages candidness and therefore requires confidentiality. Furthermore, the “unfair” strategies Martindell cited are part of negotiation strategy, she said.

Koontz noted that confidentiality would be important in the case of an unsuccessful mediation, as litigation would likely be the outcome.

Despite Martindell’s qualms, the resolution passed, 5-1.

The council also formally agreed that the Borough and Township councils should meet with each other four times per year, as originally approved at a Dec. 4, 2007 joint meeting of the two councils.

Under the plan, which was proposed by Martindell, the councils would agree to a schedule at the beginning of the year and to agendas for the meetings at the beginning of the respective months.