Syracuse police allocates funds to combat ‘nuisance parties’ near campus
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On Aug. 22, several students at Syracuse University, one of the top party schools in the country, received an email from their landlord warning them to keep their festivities to a minimum.
The email, obtained by The Daily Orange sent from Rent-From-Ben landlord Benjamin Tupper to his tenants, included a screenshot of another email sent on behalf of the Syracuse Police Department. The screenshot assured residents of the university area neighborhood that SPD will be devoting more funding and resources to handling their concerns, including larger gatherings in the neighborhood.
“The Police Department has reallocated funding internally to field a proactive detail specifically to address nuisance parties, parking enforcement and other quality of life concerns in the university area,” according to an email obtained by The D.O.
SPD met with SU’s Department of Public Safety to discuss the initiative. DPS will be issuing appearance tickets for offenses and referring ticketed students to the Office of Community Standards, to create an “increased level of accountability,” according to the email.
Tupper gave his tenants a heads up because he said he wants them to stay safe, but takes issue with the new initiative.
“I think it’s hypocritical, adults have fun and they don’t want you to have fun,” Tupper said. “Whenever I get the chance, I speak to that hypocrisy, I speak to those people in power and say, ‘You’re a freaking hypocrite.’”
Tupper said the Southeast University Neighborhood Association, who didn’t immediately respond to The D.O.’s request for comment, is behind the emails from SPD.
The increased SPD and DPS presence is a result of the “volume and nature of recent complaints” in the university neighborhood, according to a statement from SPD. In coordination with DPS, the additional personnel is supported by SPD’s current resources and “operational deployment.”
DPS may help investigate or conduct a parallel investigation alongside other law enforcement if an SU student was involved in an off-campus incident, according to a statement from DPS. Community Standards is notified if the investigation finds that the student has violated the Code of Student Conduct.
Unless it’s a serious violation or crime, DPS tries to treat “out-of-bounds” incidents as a teaching moment, according to the statement. In cases where students may not realize that what they’re doing is dangerous or against the rules, education becomes DPS’ priority.
“Officers have discretion, and they understand that following the letter of the law doesn’t always serve our community best,” DPS said in a statement to The D.O. “That said, officers’ hands are sometimes tied by state statutes that mandate an arrest or another enforcement action, and there are times when an official incident report or custodial arrest is the right call to ensure community safety. It’s a delicate balance.”
Junior Ryan Rivard currently lives in a Rent-from-Ben property and received the email screenshot from Tupper last week. He said the email was “interesting,” yet scary because he feels like law enforcement is trying to take money away from students through ticketing.
Rivard said he noticed more SPD cars in his area but not more DPS patrol cars. In his opinion, SPD and DPS’ partnership has yet to amount to anything, but he said he wouldn’t be shocked if the neighborhood’s party culture changes as the year continues.
Junior Terry Heron, a university neighborhood resident who doesn’t live in a Rent-from-Ben property, wasn’t aware of the partnership but said he’s noticed more sirens passing by his house since coming back to campus. He said more police activity would be beneficial to the area but also doesn’t think it will affect how students behave.
“I think what would be good is no loud music past a certain time,” Heron said. “And another thing that I think would be beneficial would be if people could clean up their trash more because people tend to leave a mess when they’re partying and drinking, and it can be an eyesore for local residents.”
In its statement, DPS confirmed the office does see “quality-of-life” issues in neighborhoods around campus, primarily during “large gatherings that generate noise complaints and parking congestion.”
Tupper also acknowledged that students should make an effort to be respectful to their neighbors.
“If there’s a house having a party and all their neighbors are normal people who have to get up early in the morning and go to work, then the students in that house are being jerks,” Tupper said.
There’s a clear divide between regular Syracuse residents and students, Rivard said, but he thinks students taking better care of their homes could help. He feels like there shouldn’t be prejudice against the students just for “where they go to school and where they live.”
Tupper shared a similar sentiment and said students are an “easy target” and often used as scapegoats for problems in the neighborhood. He advised students to be smart, have fun and know that “there are people out there looking to get you.”
The emails from the police department are proof, Tupper said.
“If you love big house parties, go to one somewhere else,” he said.
