DU has hired off-duty Denver Police Department (DPD) officers to patrol the neighborhoods around campus in response to 27 noise complaints made in the week before and first week of classes.

“We do this every year because in the first week of school there are lots of off-campus parties that lead to lots of complaints,” said Allan Wilson, assistant director of the Department of Facilities Management & Planning. “It doesn’t lead to a good relationship between the university and its neighbors.”

According to Wilson, the university hires DPD officers intermittently, sometimes for two or three weeks at a time. The “hot times” are the beginning of school, right before spring break and the end of school.
This year, two officers started patrolling the first week of September and have continued through last weekend. Complaints have been reported for nine houses so far, with some of them receiving two or three complaints.

“We’ve had a lot of complaints this year, which is surprising because last year was very quiet,” said Wilson. “We will continue to evaluate the program based on neighbor complaints, which have continued through last weekend.”

When the Department of Campus Safety (DCS) receives a complaint, they investigate it before hiring DPD officers to patrol. Wilson said this is because DCS does not have jurisdiction in residences off campus and does not have the power to arrest.

“You don’t know what you’re walking into,” said Wilson.

The Office of Student Life may also become involved if the incident is serious enough.
“The bottom line is the code of conduct follows students off campus. These houses and these students represent the university,” said Wilson. “These parties are disrupting everyone who has to live and work in this neighborhood.”

There are 16,000 houses and condos in the zip code surrounding the university, covering an area of 6.1 square miles, according to Wilson. He said the university has to respond to their needs seriously in order to maintain a good relationship.

“We’re a big impact on the neighborhood in ways you can’t imagine,” said Wilson. “What we’re trying to do is be proactive. We want to come out ahead instead of always being reactionary. We want to develop a system that lets students know they’re responsible for their actions when they live in a neighborhood.”
Wilson said it helps to have a good relationship with the neighborhood when it comes to DU projects, like expanding the athletic fields, because neighbors will advocate for the university instead of resisting it.

“There’s a context to what we’re doing,” said Wilson. “We’re not looking to bust students, but we are asking students to be good neighbors.”