Students who throw wild off-campus parties in Elon may wake up to more than just a vicious hangover and the dim recollection of gaffes that seemed like good ideas at the time.
For those prone to make a mess in their revels, there may be the added risk of a visit from a municipal police officer to remind them that they really should pick up after themselves if they want the good times to last.
This use of law enforcement to police litter from parties is one of the latest measures that officials in Elon have implemented as they struggle to address some of the most persistent code violations that afflict this collegiate community.
The members of Elon’s town council received a rundown of these assorted initiatives on Tuesday when they received a status report on the town’s code enforcement efforts from the town’s planning director Lori Oakley.
Oakley reminded the council that, at the moment, the town farms out this function to State Code Enforcement, Inc. – a Greensboro-based firm that specializes in nuisance abatement and zoning-related enforcement. Oakley added that SCEI has designated an employee named Kristin Cummings to serve as the town’s part-time code enforcement officer.
“She typically works Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, averaging 24 hours a week,” the town’s planning director went on to explain. “When she’s in town, she canvasses the town limits observing ordinance violations and she responds to any complaints that we receive.”
Oakley noted that Cummings is ultimately responsible for nuisance complaints, like overgrown lawns and outdoor accumulations of junk, as well as breaches of the town’s land management ordinance. She added that the latter category includes things like unauthorized fences or sheds, which are generally resolved with a permit. The former classification applies to other, more thornier issues, which Oakley conceded includes some of the more common sources of friction between the town’s full-time residents and the students at its eponymous university.
Oakley conceded that Cummings’ part-time schedule has made it difficult for her to address some of these student-generated nuisances. As a case in point, she alluded to litter from off-campus parties, which tends to materialize on days when Cummings isn’t on duty in Elon.
Oakley added that members of Elon’s town staff have had several conversations with Cummings about the proliferation of party trash – and, in particular, the red, plastic “solo” cups that show up anywhere that beverages are dispensed to large groups of revelers.
“It was decided,” she added, “that police officers would be the frontline for the party trash on the weekends. When “party trash” is spotted, the officer on duty takes pictures and makes contact with the tenant.”
Oakley added that the officer will typically issue a warning and instruct the violator to clean up the mess. Meanwhile, any photos are passed along to Cummings, so she can keep tabs on repeat violations and respond with the appropriate sanctions.
The town’s planning director went on to present the council with a list of people who’ve been reprimanded about party trash since the police force began to help out with this problem. According to her handout, 11 individuals have received warnings over post-celebratory litter – the lion’s share of which were issued on Sunday, September 14. In each case, the alleged violator was identified as a university student, and none has been written up for a second offence since their first dressing down from the cops.
Oakley added that, in theory, the town can do more than just send out a police officer to deliver a lecture if a disseminator of party trash fails to internalize the message.
Under the town’s code of ordinances, the town can impose financial penalties on repeat offenders as well as those who refuse to correct a code violation that’s brought to their attention. The code gives the offender seven days to address the breach or 10 days to lodge a formal appeal if they receive a citation. The town can then issue a fine, starting at $100 for the first offense in a given calendar year, $250 for the second, and $500 for the third violation.
Meanwhile, individuals who repeatedly rack up three offenses a year can be designated “chronic violators,” allowing the town to slap a $500 fine on any new breach even if it’s only the first after the calendar rolls over. Oakley added that Cummings has only used this enforcement measure once since she became Elon’s code enforcement officer.
The council, for its part, generally seemed comfortable with the tactics that the town’s staff has adopted to deal with litter and other code violations. Although there were some murmurs of discontent about the role that police officers have in these matters, the use of law enforcement to combat party trash didn’t seem troubling to Elon’s mayor Emily Sharpe.
“What a privilege,” she said,” that we live in a safe-enough town that this is what our police resources are used for.”
