UC Santa Cruz has renewed its commitment of funds to help the Santa Cruz Police Department enforce a city ordinance passed in 2005 to address the impact of large parties on local neighborhoods.
For winter, spring, and fall quarter of next year, UCSC will again make available $25,000 each quarter to pay for additional police coverage on Friday and Saturday nights. The city will use the funds to cover the cost of overtime for extra officers during peak party hours, approximately 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. UCSC will also provide officers, when requested by the Santa Cruz Police Department, to bolster the city's staffing. In addition, UCSC will continue to publish and distribute information to students about being good neighbors.
"Over the last year, these funds have allowed us to dedicate specific patrols to problem areas in our community," said Santa Cruz Chief of Police Howard Skerry. "Partnership with the university is essential to addressing these issues in our neighborhoods."
UCSC made its initial contribution in early 2007 after members of Santa Cruz Neighbors met with Chancellor George Blumenthal to describe the impacts large parties have on their neighborhoods. Recognizing that some of the parties are hosted by or include UCSC students, Blumenthal offered financial assistance to complement and strengthen the city's ability to enforce the ordinance.
"When I met with members of the Santa Cruz Neighbors group last year, they communicated that large parties--whether or not they involve UCSC students--have a significant impact on their quality of life," said Blumenthal. "So I have decided to once again commit UCSC funds to help the city's police department address this issue."
Skerry noted that in the past year, the funds supported 68 separate patrol shifts where officers issued a total of 81 noise-related citations.
