The Tempe Police Department partnered with the Tempe community and ASU to upgrade from the previous Safe and Sober program to a more effective campaign to deter underage drinking this year.
The Safe and Sober program of the past was first implemented in hopes of reducing underage drinking in the fall of 2013. Through its two-year span, Safe and Sober received critical reviews from the community. One negative complaint was that the program was turning Tempe into a “police state,” according to a State Press investigation and Tempe Police Department spokesperson Lt. Michael Pooley.
“We are working very closely with ASU, as well as the city of Tempe,” Pooley said. “They are the ones that will really be in front of the back to school campaign whereas in the past it was the Tempe Police Department.”
With the revamped crackdown, Tempe PD intends to shed its negative image by focusing on other issues as well as underage drinking by building strong relationships with the community and promoting education. The program now aims to bring consistency to police patrols rather than a few weekend blitzes that were enforced in the past.
Communications senior Taylor Clarke said he feels relieved knowing that the Tempe PD is changing their approach.
“It’s important that they come across as human beings,” he said. “I think a lot of people will respect them a lot more if they weren’t so aggressive. I think it’s really important that they come across to the Tempe kids as respectful and show that they’re here to help.”
Clarke represents a community of people who insist on the Tempe PD humanizing their approach, and under the new program, Tempe PD has already taken steps in that direction.
During this year’s annual Welcome Back Walk, Tempe PD did something different, Pooley said.
“One of the biggest changes is that nobody was wearing their police uniforms. Last year I remember I was walking around in my uniform knocking on doors," he said. "There were people who said that they didn’t feel it was necessary, and so, you know that was one of those things where we said we’ll change that.”
Through this reconstructed effort, authorities hope to bring the same peace of mind that Clarke feels to the community as whole by showing that they are here to make a difference and listen.
If it ain't broke, don’t fix it
Since introducing the catchily titled Safe and Sober program, Tempe PD’s presence on campus has come under scrutiny. Contrary to popular opinion, Safe and Sober has helped reduce a number of crimes committed near ASU, Pooley said.
The new campaign isn’t aimed to replace Safe and Sober, but rather to improve it. Changes have been made like reducing the number of agencies that will patrol Tempe. This year the amount of agencies involved will be around seven versus 17 in the past.
Pooley said there is still going to be police presence, just not as much as there was in the past.
There is a lot of strategy involved in the new campaign to ensure that students and residents of the community don’t feel as though their privacy is being invaded. Rather than swarming the campus for the first three weekends of the school year, Tempe PD is planning to bring order to the way they patrol.
“We are going to have focused times to see what days of the week we are going to have more officers,” Pooley said. “For example we know that Halloween is on a Saturday this year. Halloween is by far the busiest time of the year.”
This initiative is to encourage the community to call if they see things that fall under the radar, said ASU community relations manager Ron Jackson.
“Arizona State University is really looking to connect with our university,” Jackson said. “We want to get out of our offices, actually connect and engage with residents all around the city, and we know that we need to do a better job at that…”
The changes being made with the new program are a result of the community’s constructive criticism. Tempe PD and ASU want the community to know that their voices are not being brushed under the table.
Pooley said the Department believes it is important to not disregard what the community says.
“The police department’s job is to make sure every one is safe,” Pooley said. “We look at the best means possible to make sure when the students, when visitors, when residents go out or when they come to Tempe, that they go home safely."
Related Links:
Tempe Police consider Safe and Sober operation successful, plan to continue program
Tempe Safe and Sober Campaign resumes for second year
Reach the reporter at jpmorri5@asu.edu or follow @jp_morris35
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