Quality of Life in Heights Decreases With Upturn in Crime

Petty crime in the University Heights is up, according to a recent analysis -- and many residents are blaming the student house next door.

A recent study by The Buffalo News found that while Buffalo's violent crime rate is down, quality-of-life crime in University Heights increased 25 percent over the past four years.

Community members said a small number of students are partly responsible for the Heights' declining quality of life, according to Michelle Graves, a member of the University Heights Community Oriented Policing Satellite program.

"We feel that the quality of life crimes did increase in terms of student parties," Graves said.

Along with UB, the policing satellite program is one of the several partners in the Problem Properties Task Force formed in 2002 in response to student parties and neglected properties.

Graves said it was obvious that the issue needed to be addressed when she returned to her office one Monday to 50 messages on her machine about a party allegedly containing 1,000 students in two backyards.

"We've had people who've lived here for 40 years and have never seen it this bad," Graves said.

Graves believed that the MTV's Fraternity Life and Sorority Life 2 productions and the Princeton Review's 2002 ranking of the university as the sixth-best party school further facilitated the environment that fosters student parties.

Many Heights residents said they did not notice a considerable increase in either partying or crime.

Freshmen nursing majors Jessica Roesch and Allison Porter both said they did not feel that student parties were a big issue and had not noticed the increase in crime.

"Most times (parties) are in a basement so I don't think it's a big disturbance," Porter said. "It's usually late enough at night, no one is around."

Ken Wasik of Englewood Avenue, who said he has lived in University Heights all his life, reported an increase in crime but did not blame students.

"I have personally seen an increase in crime," Wasik said. "I've had my car broken into a couple of times."

Quality of life crimes are violations of the law that affect residents in everyday living, according to Jacob Uleuski, the Buffalo Police Department's public information officer.

Uleuski said quality of life crimes are often incidents associated with parties, such as underage drinking, public urination, illegal parking, fire code violations and noise.

"It's the things that bother citizens the most," said Uleuski, who attributed the upturn in crime to the slow economy.

The Problem Properties Task Force was designed to organize community members and groups with vested community interests to work to educate the community about notifying the police, alternatives to the party scene, and regarding landlord responsibilities, Graves said. The group has also worked to form and assist block clubs.

"We want our block clubs to be the extra eyes and ears of the police," Graves said.

According to Graves, the statistical increase in crime also could be attributed to a growing number of community members reporting crimes.

Graves said she feels that the task force has been effective in educating the community about addressing quality of life issues to the police without having to fear retribution or feel like they are pestering the police.

Dawn Whited, a representative of the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs, said she feels that, in general, students are assets to the Heights community and that it is only a small group of students that are detrimental.

"When students choose to live off campus, they should recognize and respect the fact that they are joining another community," Whited said. She advises that students get involved in their community by among other things joining a block club.

Whited has recently formed a group entitled Students in Community with a group of students to tackle the issue.

According to Rachel Ricotta, a senior sociology major and founding member of the group, Students in Community plans to work to educate UB students on how to interact with their environment.

"We're trying to be a link between the university and the community," Ricotta said.