The University of Massachusetts Police Department and the Amherst Police Department will be adopting a two-pronged approach to curb dangerous drinking occurrences and noisy disorderly partying.

Both law enforcement agencies will be educating students about the Town of Amherst’s noise and alcohol violation bylaws, as well as making students aware of efforts to increase area patrolling.

According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette’s article by Scott Merzbach published on March 26, “beginning this past Friday night and extending into May … additional Amherst police officers will be deployed for weekend shifts.” A release sent by the APD stated that “increased staffing and enforcement is to properly address and deter destructive behavior that is so problematic in the later part of spring.”

UMPD and APD have dubbed this effort the “Increase in Education and Enforcement Initiative,” and both groups hope to see that this initiative reduces the numbers of violations through educational efforts while better enforcing consequences for destructive behavior.

According to a release, Amherst Police Sector Officers will not only be distributing flyers outlining the town’s noise and alcohol bylaws, but also will be going door-to-door in off-campus housing areas to speak with students in-person about these laws. The release also stated that UMPD’s Community Policing Unit will be “engaging students to discuss expected behavior, both on and off campus.”

“Personally, I am against the new noise complaint law, I feel like it’s a way for the city and town to make more money off of students,” said Rich Carvill, Southwest resident assistant and UMass communications major. “However, I do appreciate that the police are actually making the public aware about the noise violation code.

“Before, what I felt the police were doing is enforcing this law that not many people were aware of – something pretty unfair,” continued Carvill. “I’m glad that they are doing it, but I feel like they’re doing it too late.”

According to the release, instances of open alcohol container violations have decreased from Sept. to March in 2010, compared to levels from Sept. to March in 2009 by 16 percent. This could be attributed to the presence of fines making students more reluctant to get caught in violation. However, the release also said police find it “concerning” that during the same time periods, there has been a 35 percent increase in noise complaints from Amherst community members. Surrounded by the homes of Amherst community members, off-campus housing is often the subject of noise complaints, and therefore, one of the prime areas police are concerned with speaking to students within.

“I do not feel that this new initiative will have an immediate impact,” said Carvill. “But maybe in the long run it could make a difference.”

“As far as on-campus patrolling goes, police only can come into dorm hallways if they are called for a particular purpose, so going dorm-to-dorm isn’t an option as going door-to-door off-campus is,” continued Carvill. “It really is going to be in the position of RAs to help keep alcohol and noise violations within the dorms down, but those don’t fall under troubles with the town’s bylaws.”

According to the Gazette, “since Sept. 1, the town has collected $33,135 in fines related to violations of the noise, nuisance house, keg and open-container violations.”

Alyssa Creamer contributed to this article. Thomas Barnes can be reached at [email protected].