The phrase “Fairfield seniors at the beach” is typically synonymous with trouble. But, a month after this year’s class of students took up residency at the beach, things are going fairly well.
According to Fairfield Police Sgt. Michael Gagner, the statistics on the number of documented incidents in the tagged vicinity known as the “beach area” is lower this year compared to the previous two years.
Gagner, who is on duty during the night shift between 12 a.m. and 8 a.m., reported 21 tickets issued for noise complaints between Sept. 1 and Sept. 24, compared to 30 during the same period in 2006, 29 in 2005 and 28 in 2004.
In the first three weeks of September, the Fairfield Police Department issued a total of 89 tickets in the beach area to both students and non-students. Some of the most common offenses are as follows: 38 tickets issued for town ordinance violations (such as possession of alcohol in a public place), eight for creating a public disturbance and eight for possession of alcohol by minors, according to Gagner.
Conversely, the numbers for the same period in 2006 were almost the opposite, with 18 tickets issued for town ordinance, four for possession of alcohol by minors, and 27 for creating a public disturbance.
“The numbers seem to show an increase in alcohol violations, and perhaps there is some confusion about the law – ‘No one, regardless of age, can possess alcohol in a public place (street, sidewalk, beach, etc.).’ A new law extends the alcohol ban to minors on private property,” he said.
Rafael Barbieri ’08 can attest to that, having been cited for a town ordinance violation.
“Taking full responsibility, I did not challenge their decision to stop me because I was clearly in the wrong,” Barbieri said. “As a result, they were very polite and never mistreated me.
“Although the situation was horrible, the police did everything in their power while still being very respectful, which I appreciated.”
Not all students have had entirely pleasant interactions with officers, however.
Bobby Hailer ’08, a resident at the Sea Ranch was cited on Sept. 15 for disorderly conduct as a result of a noise complaint from a neighbor.
He said the police initially showed up to warn the residents about a group of freshmen walking around looking for a party and advised them not to let the students in.
“When they eventually came back … they cited the previous conversation with us as a ‘warning’ that we disobeyed,” Hailer said.
“I argued that it was not a warning and repeated what the officer had previously said back to him. He threatened to put me in the back of the cop car and take me away with a $500 minimum bail if I kept talking.”
Duane Melzer, coordinator for off-campus students, cited reasons for the overall decrease in violations.
“There has been a decrease in the number of on-campus students in the beach area, and this has resulted in fewer arrests for underage possession of alcohol, possession of an open container of alcohol in a public place, littering, creating a public disturbance, disorderly conduct, etc., even though police presence has increased in the beach area,” he said.
According to Erin Hickey ’08, president of the Student Beach Residents Association, relations between students and year-round residents have been generally positive so far.
“I have talked to several beach seniors who have already introduced themselves to their neighbors and everyone seems to be getting along really well,” she said.
“Of course there will be incidences here or there, but overall, this year has been going quite smoothly.”
Melzer agreed, “This semester is young so far, but I think the situation in the beach area is good.”
He went on to caution that the balance between year-round and student residents is always delicate.
“There are some pockets of permanent residents that are having challenges with student neighbors. Some are ongoing issues from year to year, which we are working on. Others are newly impacted residents who may have not had student neighbors before,” said Melzer.
The “beach area” designated by the police department is the vicinity bordered by Fairfield Beach Road, Edward Street and part of Reef Road.
According to Gagner, the Fairfield Police Department has noticed improvement as well.
He said, “[Officers] said they could see that students are definitely trying to be more respectful and cooperative when dealing with police, and as one officer said, ‘They are obviously trying not to get arrested.’
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