Maintaining a safe environment for students and other nearby residents can be a challenge with the amount of parties close to a college campus that has over 80,000 students.
About 43 percent of loud parties occur within one mile of ASU campus, according to City of Tempe Loud Party and Neighborhood Disorder Report.
Noise disturbances, like loud parties, tend to be correlated with other serious crimes. Such crime includes sexual assault, aggravated assault, robbery and more, according to the report.
“It has a tendency to get out of control,” ASU student Dillon Whitt says.
With over 80,00 students, ASU has been the blame of noise disturbances related with
crime in Tempe. Although it has proven to be difficult, ASU police have been trying to tackle this issue.
“We continue to enhance patrol and implement smarter ways of policing,” says Nicole Franks, media relations specialist with the ASU Police Department.
Students try to stay aware of the possible consequences of attending parties where crime can occur.
“I think the media definitely gets it out there," ASU student Adrian Salmen says. "I think people know what could happen at parties. People are well aware of date-rape drugs, sexual assault.”
Although students are aware of some of the negative outcomes of partying, some say they would like more specific information from Tempe police and ASU police. Some students suggest that informing an obvious source of loud parties could be the key to creating safety from more crime.
“I think that the best way is through education, especially by reaching out to fraternities and sororities," Salmen says. "Maybe having an officer come in to a chapter meeting.”
Someone who is thoroughly educated on the dangers of party-related crime and maintaining safety, like a police officer, could reach out to Greek life.
While students say more education could be beneficial in maintaining safety, ASU police have taken steps to control the issue of parties and crime.
ASU police use different methods to implement safety for students. ASU students, faculty, staff and community members are encouraged to use the ASU LiveSafe mobile app on their phones, according to Franks.
“The app enables users to send ASU Police real-time, anonymous tips that include chat, pictures, audio and video," Franks says. "The app also provides direct access to ASU Police dispatch and 911 emergency services. A “SafeWalk” feature allows family and friends to virtually “walk” app users home while they view the users progress on a virtual map.”
The app makes it easier for students and faculty to create a safer area for students and other Tempe residents. An app on smartphones makes it more convenient to report crime and utilize safety mechanisms provided by ASU police.
ASU police also added two special victims detectives who investigate cases involving physical and sexual abuse, domestic violence, dating violence and crimes against children, according to Franks.
“The special victims detectives now have a special focus that allows us to provide even better service to the victims as well as conduct training to the other officers at ASU and campus communities,” Franks says.
Partying and unsafe behavior is, some would say, inevitable with such a large university like ASU. However, taking steps to control the serious crimes associated with parties should be a priority in order to maintain safety and comfort for students and Tempe residents.
“I think it’s important to prioritize safety anywhere you go, not just at a large school," Salmen says. "But it’s definitely harder to maintain safety at a large school.”
