In response to increased violent and party-related crime in University Heights, UB Chief of Police Gerald Schoenle has announced plans to work with Buffalo law enforcement to crack down in the neighborhoods around South Campus.
According to Schoenle, city police are increasing presence in the Heights starting this weekend and will be enforcing a zero tolerance policy on underage drinking and other public disturbance offenses.
"Since I've been here, I'm re-experiencing some of the issues that when I used to be a police officer at Precinct 16, which is now E-district around the South Campus, with the loud parties and such and some of the issues we used to deal with, they're still there," Schoenle said Wednesday while addressing the Faculty Senate Executive Committee for the first time this year.
He explained some of his ideas for improving the area.
"Some police departments have officers patrol together," Schoenle said. "For instance, the first week of school we could have a University officer with a Buffalo officer."
As it is now, the city's police are in control of the Heights, but they often call upon university police to assist them in their arrests. The university police then generally refer students to the Student-wide Judiciary (SWJ), rather than arresting them, similar to how students are punished in dormitories.
"(University Heights residents are) very pleased with us, but they would like to see us do more, and actually they would like to see the Buffalo police do more," Schoenle said.
Heights resident Joseph Adorno, junior electrical engineering major, said that he doesn't mind the police presence.
"They're just doing their job I guess. Usually it's (necessary) because kids just stand around people's front yards for some strange reason."
Dr. Henry J. Durand, director of the Center for Academic Development Services and associate vice provost for undergrad education, said that allowing University and city police to team up would ease anxieties.
"University police are visible in the area, and I think the perception of the city police combined with the university police would be beneficial to a positive perception of the role of the city police in University Heights, and help lessen concern," Durand said.
Some major hurdles facing a more solidified partnership between these two police forces is the police union, which controls the Buffalo Police. Schoenle acknowledged this fact, saying that the union environment in the city of Buffalo is very strong.
"The bigger concern that I have right now is with the violence going on in that district," he said. "That our students will become intoxicated and go off by themselves, or with one other person, and we've had a fair number of students that have reported being robbed or assaulted."
Schoenle explained that protecting students while they're off university property is a concern.
"The biggest thing that I think we can do is what we call "target hardening," educating our students about being victims of crime," he said.
Schoenle also said that basic safety concepts, such as not being out alone, staying in small groups, in well-lit areas, keeping car keys in hand when walking to a car and keeping valuables out of cars, are important for UB students to review and remember.
Schoenle, who comes to UB from a short stint in Texas, is excited to be back in Buffalo and is ready to get down to work.
Also discussed at the meeting were this year's enrollment figures, in comparison to years past. According to the Dean of Undergraduate Education and Vice Provost Michael E. Ryan, enrollment for this year's incoming class was over-target by 109.
"We managed, I think, to accommodate those students fairly well," Ryan said. "There have been some strains on both the academic side, but Peter Gold and others have been very responsive so that we've been able to provide adequate classroom capacity."
Ryan also said that there have been challenges in regards to housing students in residence halls.
"That is not only the increase in enrollment, but I think also a higher yield of students wanting to live on campus, both freshman and upperclassman," he said. "That's a problem, but a good problem to have."
The freshman class this year is sized at 3,359, compared to the 10,655 students admitted. This gives a 32 percent yield, and brings the total number of undergraduate students to roughly 18,500.
"In my opinion, looking closely at the credentials of this year's entering freshman class, I believe we have probably the best academically prepared, academically strongest, freshman class that we've ever had," Ryan said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
