LU Students and Farmville Police Still Having Issues

By Rachel Leake
Rotunda ReporterMany students have had complaints about the Farmville Police Department. The number of complaints was so significant last year that the student government had to address the issue. The student's frustrations were most heavily heard last April during an open forum with the Farmville Police Department (FPD) as a part of their outside assessment.

It's not easy to see where exactly the tensions started. Chief Gregg E. Jarvies (Ret.) of the Chapel Hill, North Carolina Police Department was hired as an independent contractor last April to evaluate the FPD. In his assessment he stated, "There is clear evidence that a few Farmville police officers target Longwood University students and other young adults and do so using questionable enforcement techniques."

Although it is necessary to note this assessment is of the FPD, the Longwood University Police Department (LUPD) is currently under investigation by the Virginia State Police for a controversial incident involving the son of the LUPD Chief Robert R. Beach.

Select officers from both departments agreed about knowing of bad policing, but they generally claimed it to be in the past. Officer Marilyn Durham of the FPD believes that the student's adversarial view of the department stems from "preconceived ideas that just keep getting passed on from year to year to year, versus new instances."

Yet students still accuse some officers with stalking people outside of the bar or being overly aggressive with pretextual stops. From the contractor's assessment of the FPD, the per capita rate of arrest, not conviction, for drunk in public (DIP) offenses in Farmville is "two times higher than Charlottesville, three times higher than Williamsburg and Alexandria, four times higher than Newport News and Norfolk and five times higher than Richmond."

A possible reason for these numbers might be that most of the FPD's money comes directly from tickets. Durham explained, "We don't get a lot of money from the state anyway because we're a township. It goes to the county.Most of our money comes from tickets." Another possible reason could be the concern with underage drinking, which seemed to be the appropriate response from select officers from both departments. However, if that is a concern, then according to Jarvies, charging persons with underage possession of alcohol and drunk in public is a reactive enforcement technique and does not address the underlying problem of how and where the alcohol is being purchased and consumed.

According to Jarvies, "The adversarial relationship between the police department and the students must improve and there is absolutely no reason that it cannot." There are going to be alcohol and noise problems on any campus, but there needs to be an effort on both ends to better the relationship.

Students are not completely blameless with these issues. Disruptive behavior such as yelling profanities, blatant littering and urinating outside are absolute ways to secure a visit from an officer. Being respectful and cooperative in general can only benefit you. Drinking and driving and underage drinking are not tolerated, but if you are walking home from the bar, the best advice given by officers was not to draw attention to yourself by not stumbling or yelling.

When discussing what improvements officers should make, it is important to understand that the issues discussed pertain to a select few problematic officers. As Farmville Police Officer Timothy Bourne stated, "One of us can make us all look bad." Jarvies stated that a "few officers give the rest of the department a bad reputation."

The majority of the officers interviewed for this article sympathized with the students and sincerely care about their safety. When discussing drunk in public arrests, Bourne states that students are "doing the right thing by walking instead of driving." Although a DIP might be a valid arrest, he states, "You don't need to be that aggressive especially when they are trying to do the right thing by not driving."

Officer Roger Watson of the FPD stated his personal opinion when asked about his view on the student body by saying, "I'm old school. College used to be an institution of higher learning. They have their little parties, but not as much as nowadays. It's like everybody goes to college to learn how to drink."

Some changes are currently being made in both departments. Officer Durham explains that the FPD has been giving out fewer tickets as a result of their assessment "because we've been trying to do more warnings and building a better relationship." Officer Joel Abernathy of the LUPD verified he has seen "a dramatic decrease in the patrolling of the Buffalo street area" by the FPD.

Chief Beach is the adviser for the new Students Rights Committee. He stated, "I want students to understand what their rights are." He further explained that with rights also come responsibilities. He also wants to look into a designated driver program for the university, as he has experience with safe ride programs from his career in Northern Virginia.

With efforts being made from both sides, the tenuous relationship will hopefully improve. As Bourne stated, "It's got to [get better]. I don't think it could be much worse.