09-07-04 Health & Public Safety - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Health and Public Safety Committee Mr. Bill Kirk of the Residential Life Office of the University of Notre Dame apologized to Mr. and Mrs. Phillips if he had failed to get back to them. He stated that the University does have policies which permit Notre Dame to respond to violations of laws. The University can and does hold students responsible, however they have no means to go off campus. As a result they rely on the South Bend Police Department. The University has a progressive discipline procedure beginning with a warning. Often times discipline matters take several months. Mr. Kirk stated that he lives in the northeast neighborhood near the Pendl family. He apologized on behalf of the University of Notre Dame and believes that the problems discussed today may be the result of a minority of its student population. Mr. Kirk stated that he looks forward to working with the City Council and the neighborhood residents in addressing these concerns. Council President White inquired as to how many reports had the University of Notre Dame acted upon in the past two (2) years. Mr. Kirk stated that there have been "dozens" however the students appear to move from house to house. He noted that a student must be identified in order to be held accountable. Dr. Varner inquired about the number of reports that have to be made on a house before there is a response. Mr. Kirk stated that they would respond on the first call, however students do not have an obligation to report their local address. Dr. Varner suggested that a"verifiable local address"be required of each student, noting that he believes this is possible and that the University could ask for a copy of their lease. He further noted that in this way "hot spots" could be identified which would help in coordinating police patrols. Dr. Varner stated that he believes that the University's system "needs to be tightened". Mr.Kirk stated that he believes that the University could look into this suggestion. Anne Costello stated that she believes that the city has an obligation to go after landlords if they are owning a nuisance property. She added that if landlords profit was threatened they would respond. Charles Leone, City Attorney, stated that police must be careful in getting accurate information such as license numbers and getting video tape of the activities. Elaine Nicgorski of 1204 Stanfield suggested that the city should also look into zoning violations. Mr. Leone stated that "determining who is living there can be a task", especially with regard to creating an evidentiary basis. In response to a question raised by Mrs.Hobing, Assistant Chief James Hassig stated the often the circumstances of the situation dictate the types of reports. He noted that there are difficulties if the officer does not see the situation and in such instances they must rely on a "team effort" and need citizen involvement. Health and Public Safety Committee Meeting of September 7,2004 Page 3