Have a few bad apples spoiled it for the rest of us? In an effort to remedy what he calls the “beach area problem,” new Fairfield Chief of Police Dave Peck is shaking things up at Fairfield Beach.
At the annual Beach Residents Association meeting, Peck addressed the permanent residents’ biggest complaint: student disturbances.
Peck had identified a “problem area” according to “an unusually high rate of disturbance occurrences as reported by area residents and substantiated by police investigations,” and has created a plan of action accordingly.
His plan includes a new “zero tolerance” policy, which was greeted with loud applause from the residents at the meeting when announced. According to the new policy, “zero tolerance” means students will be arrested rather than receive warnings.
“The message we’re sending now is that if it is a criminal violation, you will get arrested,” said Peck.
In addition, Peck announced his new plan to work more closely with local liquor stores. A letter was sent to local establishments to “remind them of their obligation to follow the laws.”
The Fairfield Detective Bureau is also asking local liquor stores to notify them if large amounts of alcohol are purchased by students, defined in the same letter as “more than two kegs of beer, multiple cases of beer or several bottles of liquor (obvious party situations).”
Peck has also introduced a new practice that he calls “stop-by intervention.” According to the policy, police will approach any house in which a party appears to be growing before any complaint has been made and inform the individuals in the house of the “zero tolerance” policy. If the officers return, the new policy dictates that the individuals responsible will be arrested.
In the past, police were unable to address underage drinking on private property. As of Oct. 1, however, possession of alcohol by a minor will be a misdemeanor and will result in the immediate arrest of the offending student.
Despite the tough new policies, Peck maintains, “We don’t consider them [students] the enemy.”
Although the general feeling among permanent beach residents seems like one of animosity and, at the very least, annoyance, most residents recognize that the problem is not with the students as a whole.
“Just a handful of them make people resent all the students,” said James Brown, a board member of the Beach Residents Association.
Dean of Students Tom Pellegrino expressed the same sentiment in a letter he sent to off-campus residents over the summer.
“Unfortunately, the inappropriate conduct of a relatively small number of students tends to be portrayed as the behavior of all,” he said in the letter. “That is not fair, nor accurate, but it is a reality.”
Students who have already been targeted under the new practices resent the policy. One student, who wished to remain anonymous, has already found out exactly what “zero tolerance” means through personal experience.
“I think the policy is ridiculous,” the student said. “Kids that make one mistake are being treated like criminals.”
Leave a Reply