The patrolling law enforcement in Oxford is more than doubling this fall, with the Oxford Police Department (OPD) hoping to avoid an often-traditional influx of crime during the first few weeks of school at Miami University.
The OPD announced Aug. 13 the formation of a new law enforcement partnership among themselves, Miami University Police Department, Oxford Township Police Department, Ohio State Patrol, Ohio Investigative Unit and the Butler County Sheriff's Office.
The 2007 Safe School Start Initiative will more than double the amount of patrolling officers in Oxford during "peak activity periods," namely weekends.
Sgt. Jim Squance of the OPD said the normal patrol strength on, for example, a Friday night during fall and spring semesters is eight to 12 officers. With this new alliance, an additional 12-15 officers will be on Oxford's streets.
"We are specially trying to address the incidents of violence at the beginning of last school year and the end of last school year," Squance said. "With the over consumption of alcohol and the tragic accident with Beth Speidel, we are trying to address these issues and make the beginning of the school year safer."
Squance referenced the death of sophomore Speidel, 19, who was hit and killed by a CSX train at about 1:45 a.m. April 14.
Uniformed officers will be in marked units, on bicycles, and patrolling walking beats both uptown and in the Mile Square. Plainclothes officers will monitor alcohol sales and consumption in bars, in addition to "proactive party patrol" at private residences.
Officers will be on the lookout mainly for noise, littler and alcohol-related violations, Squance said.
The OPD had 44 reports filed involving Miami students for Aug. 14-19. Eight were involving party litter, one was for an outdoor furniture restriction (a beer pong table in a yard), and 25 were liquor violations-mainly for underage consumption.
There were also two assaults, one involving a male assaulted by an unknown person on High Street and another with two males, both assaulting each other.
Last year around this time-between Aug. 25 and Aug. 27, the first weekend following classes-OPD reported 30 liquor violations and three assaults, one involving a police officer.
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Ross Kitchen, a third year student at Miami, was involved in a fight Saturday night outside of Brick Street. According to Kitchen, another student allegedly pushed him down and the two exchanged punches.
He said within "three punches," police officers were at the scene. Kitchen was taken to the station, but not charged. Even before the altercation, he said he had definitely seen an increased police presence throughout Oxford during the weekend.
"I feel good that it's safer, but I feel bad that I got busted," he said. "But (the increased police presence) makes it a lot safer."
In addition, the OPD has a partnership in the works with CSX Corporation, a transportation service, to prevent another rail-related death on the tracks running through Oxford, such as the Speidel incident.
Gary Sease of CSX said the transportation company's program with Oxford and Miami is modeled off of a program at the University of Delaware, where a train tracks are in similar proximity to the university as in Oxford.
Sease said Delaware had "one incident too many" on its tracks and the program was started to increase awareness and education.
Two to three CSX representatives will attend Oxford's annual pig roast Aug. 23, utilizing communication that Sease said worked with students at Delaware. Sease added that T-shirts and direct one-on-one conversation with students were particularly effective.
In part because a toxicology report showed Speidel's blood alcohol level was 0.229-the legal limit is 0.08-Sease said these education programs will not only target general rail safety, but alcohol consumption as well. But he noted that rail accidents happen to anyone, with or without alcohol.
"Certainly alcohol can be a factor, but it's not anything unique to students," Sease said. "A lot of crossing collisions and pedestrian (accidents) are a result of inattention and that's not unique to any demographic."
In addition, CSX representatives will be on campus Thursday to present Miami a $25,000 endowment to create a scholarship in Speidel's memory, said Tamara Hatcher, vice president of university advancement. The scholarship will go to a student study speech pathology, Speidel's major.
"CSX really came to the university and said they wanted to do this, to recognize her in some way," Hatcher said.
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