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BY MARTHA MARRAZZA

In print | Published September 22, 2005

After a student living in Worth recently received a citation for drug-related offenses off campus, the administration cautioned Worth residents to curb unlawful behavior in public due to a heightened police presence around the dorm. Worth RAs circulated an e-mail to residents advising them to exercise caution “for about the next four weeks.”

Police involved in the case are not from the borough of Swarthmore, but rather from neighboring Nether Providence township. After police cited the student, they informed the student that a room search could occur up to 45 days after the citation. While the student alerted his or her immediate neighbors about the possibility of a police search, the Worth RAs warned all dorm residents of a possible search via e-mail.

“We just wanted them to watch out for underage drinking and stuff,” Worth RA Tanya Gonzales ‘06 said. "We’re worried that if the police go to search the room, and there are people in the courtyard doing bad stuff, it might be an issue. We just want residents to know that if they are doing illegal things in plain sight, there is a possibility of being caught since police are going to be around."

While the police handling the issue are separate from the Swarthmore police, the threat of an increased police presence on campus and the resulting scramble to assume a guise of lawfulness illuminates some inconsistencies between how the police and the college view their respective roles in day-to-day law enforcement.

Swarthmore Chief of Police Brian Craig said that the college campus is a legal extension of the town. “We don’t treat the campus any differently than we treat the borough,” he said. “We conduct routine patrols and provide the same services to the college as we do to Swarthmore residents. If an officer on normal duties comes upon a violation of the law, they will issue a citation.”

Overall, college administrators prioritize education over law enforcement, said Myrt Westphal, associate dean for student life. “I do think that we as deans have a different approach to the police in dealing with issues,” Westphal said. “I think the police are law and rule driven, but I think we at the college are more health and safety driven. We’re not going to go looking for underage drinking, but if it comes to our attention, we are going to pursue it.”

While the day-to-day policies of college administrators may vary from those of the police, cooperation with the Swarthmore police and public safety have helped unify law enforcement policies on campus. “Each of the three entities, the deans, public safety and the police, all operate in both a separate and connected manner,” Westphal said. “If someone is cited for underage drinking or something, the administration will also adjudicate the student because he or she has broken our rules, which are those of the local, state and federal governments.”

Craig lauds the relationship between college administrators and the Swarthmore police department. “We’re trying to improve our communication with the college, it’s an ongoing goal of ours,” he said. “We had a fireside chat with students last year, and we have addressed the RAs in training. For the past year we have monthly meetings with the college. There is a constant interchange between the borough and the college, so I have to believe that our communication is better than at other schools.”

Thanks to policies put in place by the college, the police now give administrators some leeway in upholding the law. “I think the cops have more trust in the administration because we are addressing risky behaviors in our own way,” Westphal said. "We have Tom Elverson as a counselor who works with students surrounding issues like alcohol and drug abuse, and we also have a dean adjudication process. I think the police have come to trust us more that we won’t just sweep stuff under the carpet.

The recent possibility of a heightened police presence near Worth is the result of an isolated incident, Westphal said. “I think the police presence this year is the same as in previous years; I just think it’s always a little more intense at the beginning of the year. Then as things quiet down, the presence of the police is less felt.”

In contrast, Peter Gardner ‘08 believes that recent actions of the Swarthmore police contradict their rhetoric. "The police say they patrol the campus as much as the ville, but that’s just untrue. They said they stay on the road, but I’ve seen them on paths around Sharples and McCabe," Gardner remarked. “I’ve heard rumors that they are going to increase their foot patrols. There is definitely an increase in police presence this year.”

But Craig said the Swarthmore police presence on campus is unchanged from recent years. “We patrol publicly accessible areas, like roads. We don’t do foot patrols unless there is a specific concern,” he said. “We’ve patrolled the campus long before I was here. Because criminal incidents do occur on campus, we patrol the campus to provide the same safety for the college that we do for the town of Swarthmore.”

Andrew Fieldhouse ‘08, however, said he has perceived an increase in the police presence on campus this year. “I feel like there has been a huge increase in police presence this year, which is unacceptable,” Fieldhouse said. "I attended the fireside chats with the chief of police last year, and it seems the police are doing things this year that they said they wouldn’t do."

“I don’t feel like public safety is doing a good job of keeping us safe or of keeping the cops off campus, either. They are more likely to call the police or threaten to call the police when a student is drunk, so now no one wants to call public safety,” Fieldhouse said. “Public safety is there for our health. If no one wants to call them then it could be dangerous.”

Worth resident Robert DeVoogd ‘06 said that if police presence has increased this year, it has been negligible. "There are always police on campus because they always want to get us, but I don’t think the presence is that much different this year."

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