UMass shows off new Police Station

A boatload of state and local officials sat under the big tent this morning to hear Chancellor Robert Holub sing the praise of the new $12.5 million UMass police station and the men and women who now call it home, as well as the outstanding relationship shared by public safety officials in the town of Amherst and neighboring Hadley.

Chancellor Robert Holub

The new station has its own emergency dispatch center causing UMass to opt out of a regional dispatch Amherst is pursuing. Obviously town officials did not hold any grudges, as Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe and SB members Diana Stein and Alisa Brewer attended as did acting Town Manager Dave Ziomek, Fire Chief Tim Nelson, Assistant Chief Lindsay Stromgren, APD Captain Jennifer Gundersen and other high ranking members of those departments.

Stan Rosenberg, the consummate pro, eschewed the poor quality PA system

UMPD Chief Johnny Whitehead has a lot to smile about

Intersection upgrade makes it easier for UMPD and AFD to get rolling

No, the horse did not speak...or cut the ribbon

Give 'em enough rope...

Click to enlarge read, especially pull quote mid right

UPDATE Friday morning:
Make that really BIG time as the Bulletin's sister publication The Daily Hampshire Gazette also published the article today on the front page above the fold using the perfect pull quote (sub headline) that closes the article and will probably close out the UMass academic career of one Peter Clark.

UMass is having a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new $12.5 million police station this morning which will be well attended by UMass and town officials. I hope one of the higher ranking Amherst public officials brings a copy of the newspaper for the Chancellor.

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So my Party Poster Boys from last week have now made the B-I-G time: Above the fold cover story on this week's venerable Amherst Bulletin. Yes, now they have their 15 minutes of famous notoriety.

And for what? Fighting for the right to party! Somebody ought to write a song.

Of course the Bulletin is a family newspaper so they could not mention the childish "F_ck The Fines" Facebook group the boys founded last winter after earning $1,200 in fines for rowdy behavior in a South Amherst neighborhood, and another $1,800 after the second incident.

Since Peter Clark is an aspiring DJ, he will probably see this PR bonanza as a good thing for business. That is of course assuming he is not expelled from UMass under the new Code of Conduct extension to cover off campus behavior.

All the Chancellor need do is read the closing quote.

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In FY11 (ended June 30) town bylaw fines brought in: Noise, $24,735; Nuisance, $10,200; and Open Container, $20,235. Or a combined amount large enough to fund an additional police officer.

Rogue Elephant in the Room

So I'm a tad disappointed with my print friends at the Gazette and Springfield Republican for not mentioning in their front page articles covering UMass President Robert Caret's on campus press conference yesterday that he plans to get tough with rowdy student behavior we have already seen too much off this month.

Ch 22 TV used the term "strongly discipline offenders" but since they did not put quotation marks around it I have to assume that is the impression Caret gave the reporter,Jackie Bruno, in response to her question. Maybe since it was Ms. Bruno asking the question the print folks--who tend to dislike TV journalism--chose to ignore it.

The Mass Daily Collegian also mentioned it in passing but opted to highlight Caret's other Pollyanna idea of addressing the problem, what I consider the "oatmeal cookie' approach: Student ambassadors living in the impacted neighborhoods to facilitate two way conversations.

But all bricks-and-mortar reporters highlighted Caret's wish to move from top 50 public university nationwide to top 25 in "research". If that ambitious goal is to be met, he needs to recognize the inverse relationship between top research institution and top party school: One excludes the other!

Stupid Criminal of the Weekend

What's black and white and not to be messed with? Yes, an APD patrol car--otherwise known as a squad car--became the victim of B&E MV (breaking and entering motor vehicle) early Saturday morning (1:10 AM) in front of the Allen House Inn on lower Main street.

The nitwit managed to break into the cruiser and was arrested--but not before putting up a (drunken) attempt at fighting. He is charged with breaking and entering in the night time for a felony, underage possession of liquor and resisting arrest.

Maybe for his encore he can break into a jail cell.

Jackson Haley, 27 Lovell Street, Westminster, MA, age 20

Party House(s) of the Weekend

53 Meadow Street, North Amherst

So as I expected, APD busted #53 Meadow Street for noise violations late Saturday night (see yesterday's report) but they also hit them with the more serious charge of "nuisance house." Rather than simply being handed $300 tickets--times each charge--the responsible parties were arrested, hands cuffed behind their backs and then transported to the police station where the bail bondsman usually shows up in the early AM to process at $40 each all those netted during the long night.

Overturned potty on Meadow Street

Arrested for Noise and Nuisance House violations:

Ryan Casey, 10 Cabot Rd, North Andover, MA, age 22
Brian Bartolucci, 103 Blueberry Pond Dr, Brewster, MA, age 22
Jeffrey Rigney, 13 Harlow Rd, Marshfield, MA, age 23
Salvatore Cacciatore, 653 Beaver St, Waltham, MA, age 22

Assessor Property Card for 53 Meadow Street

Rivaling the party at Meadow Street but with double the number arrested on the same charges of noise and nuisance house violations, the tenants of 62 Summer Street also merit a note of dubious achievement.

Arrested for Noise and Nuisance House violations:

Timothy Higgins, 7 Norwich Lane, Methuen, MA, age 20
John Coschigano, 7 Apple Tree Road, Bethel, CT, age 20
Adam Dorfman, 65 Wilkeshire Blvd, Randolph, NJ, age 21
Steven Pesapane, 8 Shadetree Ct, Stoney Brook, NY, age 20
Philip Taberner, 1 Bramble Hill Rd, Methuen, MA, age 21
Kevin Miller, 68 Temple Dr, Methuen, MA, age 20
Marc Jesi, 27 Castle Circle, Peabody, MA, age 20
Nicholas Fabrizio, 342 Pelham St, Methuen, MA, age 21

Property Card for 62 Summer Street

Another hectic weekend for APD

1057 North Pleasant Street, Amherst @ 6:45 AM Sunday

Saturday night as the witching hour fast approached, a half dozen squad cars and the large transport van (referred to as a "paddy wagon" way back in the day) converged on the center of Meadow Street directly in front of the main entry to Townhouse Apartments, where students had been congregating all night long--fueled by warm humid air and beer.

Like Old West cowboys, APD herded the massive crowd of students away from Meadow Street--which by then had become impassable to cars--back into the confines of the sprawling apartment complexes that consists almost entirely of UMass students.

Then they turned their attention to the large house on the slummy side of Meadow Street with all the cars parked on the lawn, which had been attracting overloaded taxis for most of the night--contributing to the gridlock on Meadow Street.

As the officers moved as a unit towards a side entrance where a few residents were still milling about I heard the clang of an empty beer can ricochet off the road at their feet.

This congested, claustrophobic--dangerous--scene of too many students and too few cops was replayed on Phillips Street, Hobart Lane, and upper North Pleasant Street between 10:00 PM and 1:00 AM. With students crossing those roads freely back-and-forth in droves, I'm amazed there were no people vs car incidents.

Meanwhile, back in Amherst center McMurphy's and Stackers had lines of young people waiting to get to the bar, while next door a friendly crowd formed in front of Antonio's Pizza, happily chowing down. Cell phones chirped, a street musician played the xylophone and an incessant car alarm was almost drown out by the cacophony of loud conversations coming from consumers all along the busy street, looking for something to do.

Just another late Saturday night in our little (college) town.

374 North Pleasant Street, Amherst @ 6:40 AM Sunday

Please come to Amherst for...

Yesterday's clearing skies brought out those housebound folks to Amherst center for the "Apple Harvest Festival." And what would Amherst center be without other folks taking advantage of the crowds by occupying the town common soapbox?

Western Mass 9/12 Project, a subgroup of The Tea Party

Apple Harvest Festival (non political)

Yes, apparently the John Birch Society is still active. Somebody must have told them that Amherst is one of those rare American communities that flies the UN flag.

UN Flag (near and dear to Amherst Town Hall)

Interfaith groups would certainly agree