This September has seen slightly fewer incidents compared to past years
According to the Narragansett Police Department, since the beginning of the academic
Narragansett Chief of Police Sean Corrigan said there are frequently more nuisance complaints in September than other months. This is because students are excited to be moving back into their off-campus homes and may not be fully aware of the disruption that can be caused by parties.
In September, Corrigan said the police step up their efforts to maintain order in areas that are populated by a high volume of students.
“There’s more enforcement in September than in other months because there’s a new batch of kids,” Corrigan said.
In September 2019, Corrigan said there were 83 noise complaints directed towards URI students, which is a decrease from 89 noise complaints in September 2018. Additionally, Corrigan said there were eight orange stickers issued this September, which is a decrease from the 10 that were issued last September.
Furthermore, a report that is published on the Narragansett Police Department’s website shows that as a whole, offenses regarding URI students decreased from the 2017-2018 academic year to the 2018-2019 academic year.
In the 2018-2019 academic year, the report says that noise complaints, orange stickers issued and public nuisances all decreased. Arrests for possession of alcohol as a minor, using a fake identification card, transporting alcohol as a minor, driving under the influence (DUI) and disorderly conduct all decreased as well. Social host violations decreased also.
In order to keep nuisance issues at a minimum, Corrigan said the department increases patrols during times of the year when there is usually an uptick in incidents. Corrigan said the department will typically post on social media during these times to remind students of the town ordinances that must be followed.
Corrigan said students should keep in mind that they are part of a larger community when they live off campus and that they must follow the community’s rules.
“Try to treat where you are living like your hometown,” Corrigan said. “How would you want people behaving around your mom or your dad [or] your aunts or uncles? You’re an adult now and you have more freedom, and responsibility comes along with it.”
Corrigan said one major improvement over the past several years is a reduction in DUI offenses.
“A positive development that we’ve seen with the college population in the last few years is the use of Ubers,” Corrigan said. “That has been great. We used to have a real DUI problem with the student population and the car accidents that go along with that, and we’ve really seen an improvement with that, which we’ve been happy to see.”
Aaron Vaughn, a URI student and off-campus resident, said that respect for the community is an important aspect of living off-campus.
“I think respect plays a huge role in avoiding run ins with the [police] because at the end of the day, these people live in these neighborhoods full time and they understand that college students live here and want to party, but sometimes there’s a time and place and the common decency is not to go overboard [with partying],” Vaughn said.
When noise does become an issue, Vaughn believes neighbors should attempt to speak with those causing the issue before reporting it to the police. Vaughn said students may want to be respectful and simply don’t realize how much noise they are making.
“Yes, we are college students, but we are also humans just like them… not all of us are trying to have an issue with others in the neighborhood,” Vaughn said.
In addition to nuisance complaints, an issue that has required police attention is speeding on local roadways. Corrigan said the department has tried to prevent speeding through the use of directed patrols.
“We get out there and patrol locations where we know we have a greater risk of motor vehicle accidents, and over time we’ll see a reduction of [speeding],” Corrigan said.
Vaughn, who also lived off-campus last year, said he has noticed an increase in police presence on the roadways this school year.
“Daily, driving through Narragansett, you see so many [officers] hiding out at all times, compared to last year where you might see one cop car rarely on random days and times,” Vaughn said.
As a whole, Corrigan said that if students abide by the town’s ordinances, they should have no problem enjoying off-campus living.
“Follow your landlord’s rules, follow the community standards,” Corrigan said. “If you do that you’re going to have an excellent experience.”
The Narragansett Police Department can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. On their social media pages, the department will intermittently post about increases in patrols, DUI checkpoints and other related information. Corrigan encouraged students to follow the department’s social media pages.