Citing a recent increase in community complaints, The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) has issued an order stating that all officers responding to incidents involving students in the Northern District - which includes Towson University, Loyola College and Hopkins - must submit a written report of the incident.
Although community leaders have varied ideas about the potential consequences of this policy change, BPD Community Liaison for the Northern District Doug Gibson said that the order was mainly intended to increase documentation of incidents involving students.
"We're making sure we document incidents of disorderly conduct so that we can take action against the properties if we need to," he said.
He pointed to a track record of incidents involving Hopkins students dating back to the year 2000.
"It's been a continuous problem. There's been a mix of students living in residential areas where there are drastic lifestyle differences," Gibson said.
In many cases, he explained, student behavior escalates to the point where there are violations of the law.
Hopkins Student/Community Liaison Carrie Bennett sent an e-mail to a number of students and campus leaders to alert them of the new order reminding them to be proactive in avoiding trouble with the police.
Bennett's e-mail also warned students of a potential consequence of the policy change, especially in light of the Neighborhood Nuisance Law, which states that two written reports in a six-month period are grounds for eviction of the tenant.
Dana Peterson Moore, president of the Charles Village Civic Association (CVCA), said that while she thinks the community has a good relationship with the Hopkins students who live in Charles Village overall, she pointed to a series of exceptions, mostly on 33rd Street and University Parkway, where several Charles Village residents live alongside undergraduate students.
"There seems to be a constant problem with students gathering, being loud and rowdy and disrespectful, to the point where the community is ready to seek prosecutions for that type of conduct," she said.
In her widely distributed e-mail, Bennett explained that being forced to write up a report when they previously would not have had to would likely upset the officer.
"I have reason to believe that many officers will justify having to write a report by also making arrests," she wrote.
Gibson, on the other hand, insisted that officers would not simply make an arrest because they have to write up a report.
"We have had a lot of pressure from the community - people saying we haven't taken significant action. We are trying to make sure we take appropriate steps," he said.
Although she is supportive of the actions that the police have been taking, Peterson Moore expressed her hope that being forced to write up a report would not deter officers from responding to calls that involve students.
"There is a reluctance to respond if an officer knows that a report has to be written if the incident is minor or resolved by the time they get there," she said.
She hopes that the officers will "do a thorough investigation to determine the nature of the call and write detailed, accurate reports."
She also expressed her hope that "those who are the source of the problem ... understand that a report will be written."
Bennett had a similar message for Hopkins students.
"I would ask that all our students be mindful about noise levels when walking off campus," Bennett wrote in an e-mail to the News-Letter.
"Many of our students who plan a social event at their house or apartment are aware of the steps necessary to keep party noises down, but they are not doing enough to ask their guests to be mindful of the neighbors when arriving and departing a residence."
Bennett's e-mail to student leaders also mentioned a series of student arrests that had occurred since the policy change began about a week ago.
Officer Gibson confirmed that this past weekend two Loyola students were arrested for disorderly conduct in the Lake Evesham neighborhood north of Hopkins, and one student from Towson was issued a citation.
Hopkins Greek Life Coordinator Rob Turning said he is aware of the new order and is confident that Hopkins's fraternities will avoid any trouble.
"Fraternities have the infrastructure in place to handle this. They have a president, social chair and other officers whose duty it is to make sure laws are upheld."
Fraternity presidents echoed Turning's sentiments. Sigma Chi president Shawn Fu expressed concern about the fairness of the order.
"Students causing noise violations aren't always Hopkins students. There are some people in the neighborhood who just don't like students who will be happy to see the new order," he said.
Fu said that he does not believe his own fraternity to be an instigator of nuisance issues.
"We had no complaints last semester. We have a lot of measures in place to minimize noise impact and activity outside, and we have good neighbors, so it shouldn't affect us that much," he said.
Sigma Phi Epsilon president Dante Ross had a similar reaction.
"This probably shouldn't affect us too much. We work hard to have good relationships with our neighbors, and we are active with GRIA [Greater Remington Improvement Association] in working to improve our neighborhood," he said.
- Additional reporting by Colin Ray
