Springtime clashes between city police and partying students in 1989 and 1990 did
not return to campus neighborhoods in 1991, an effect many attribute to efforts of a
File p#K)io
community relations task force that formed two years ago. This photo was taken at a
party dunng the spring of 1990, shortly before tear-gas was used.
Students, police see fragile relations improving
By Dan Eisler
Emerald Contribute!
Itisl over <i year ago, it seemed oil-cam
pus 1 onfrontations between students ami
police might become part of University
life as much as other revived asper Is
from the early '70s
Hut unlike the resurgence of
Birkenslocks or sideburns, student -po
lice i lashes have been kept to a mini
mum. with both sides working to avoid a
flashhai k to the time of anti war riots
As a result, efforts at improved com
rmmicetions hy .1 community relations
task force have taken the pressure oil the
party situations th.it led to the melees of
1 OHO and loot)
The task force composed of repre
sentatives from the police department,
the University, and the community
formed in response to lilt1 May 10H0 par
ty th.it ended in bottle-throwing and te.ir
gas The t.isk force took steps to prevent
such subsequent incidents, and exam
illed issues such as relations lietween
police and students
One result has lieen a greatly improved
level of communication between police
<ind the university community, said Sgt
Mike Cline of the bugone Public Safety
I Jepurtment
Previously, communication between
the two sides was minimal, hut both
stiles have moved away from .in "us
versus them" mode, through talking with
various groups and organizations in the
community, and with several forums
held in the wake ol the clashes, Cline
said
The task force has also invested a Ire
mendous amount ol energy and time in
promoting student police cooperation,
leading to changes in police procedure
and the establishment ol student re
spouse teams to prevent similar distur
bam es, he said
In the (last, a "strike force" ol lour to
six officers was dispatched from down
town to respond to campus-area com
plaints, Cline said
Now, when police respond earlier
than in the past to complaints, the
complaints are investigated by officers
assigned to the campus area, whir h Cline
hopes promotes mutual recognition ol
individuals on both sides
Also, whon point- tin- dispatched to a
party, their approach is to ask lor a host
or responsible partk ipimt. tlhne said
in addition, student response teams
were established last year to defuse po
tential police student confrontations, he
said
Originally, students patrolled the West
University Neighborhood on weekends,
(dine said During the lWJO-tM school
year, the arrangements were modified for
police to page the teams In the event ol a
party, and more recently, teams have
been notified by cellular phone
Idle campus Office ol Public Safely
provides the equipment and information,
and tlie response teams are called in by
Ol’S to provide student to student medi
ation, OPS director Cana Drayton said
Idle program was extremely effective,
and the teams lessened the strain and
stall time needed lor police to patrol the
area for parties, (dine said “The police
department loved it
A lot of work has been done by every
one to repair potential breaks in the rela
tionship. (dine said "Not that we won't
continue to have problems, but commu
nication is the key to whole thin); "
Without these i hanges, the i lashes
conceivably could have moved to the se
verity of the early ‘70s anti-war demon
strations. but thev lacked a vital impera
tive, said (dine, who experienced the ri
ots of that period
"We weren't looking at anything that
rallied around a cause,'1 ('line
said "Having a wild party is not a reason
for the University (community) to get be
hind (students) and star! burning build
ings "
Moreover, the student population
wasn't united about the parties panic
ularly when it was other students who
called to complain about them in the
first place, he said
In addition, in the 1089 and 1990 dis
turbances. police never responded until
they received citizen complaints, Cline
said, adding that EPD doesn't have
enough officers to make loud parties a
high priority.
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