September Storm

 APD Chief Livingstone (left) UMPD Chief John Horvath (right)

The difference in number of arrests this past September between Amherst Police Department, with 45 sworn officers making 92 arrests, 45 of them UMass students , and the UMass Police Department with 62 sworn officers making 81 arrests, 55 of them UMass students is interesting but not overly startling.

Amherst police with a department 37% smaller than their UMass counterparts made 14% more arrests.   Of course the difference on the day of the infamous Blarney Blowout was far more dramatic with APD making 55 arrests to UMPD only 3. 

Last year in September, when students first flock back to Amherst, 5,500 of them freshmen leaving home for the first time, Amherst Police Department made 263 arrests or almost three times the number (92) made just this past September.  Now that is somewhat startling.

I asked APD Chief Scott Livingstone about that:

Click to enlarge/read

Since APD recently received "Department Of The Month" from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, obviously they have not slacked off on that vitally important function.

But now being down 5 officers, four of them due to on-duty injuries, the month of October -- when the weather is still conducive to outdoor socializing -- is going to be even more of a challenge.

Especially since Halloween falls on a Friday this year.  That alone is scary, even when the overworked department is at full strength.

Hate that awkward moment when your friend calls you and asks you for $240 to bail them out at UMPD. Happy Saturday
— ZooMass (@ZooMass) October 4, 2014

High Adventure

Adventure Rope Course at the top of The Notch

Hard to tell who had more fun, the 20 children taking part in the Amherst & UMass Police Adventure Academy or the half dozen officers who acted as counselors.

The one week program is a joint effort of the two public safety departments who share the same town, but have decidedly different beats.

The summer camp combined the cerebral aspects of police work with outdoor activities designed to promote teamwork and camaraderie.

But most of all it got police officers out of their uniforms and into a fun environment to interact with our children, fostering something you can't put a price on:  trust. 

UMPD officer Brian Kellogg (orange shirt) and APD officer Bill Laramee (grey hat) recover Kira 

Graduation Day:  Round of applause for the children and counselors

Not My Job

UMPD

Back when I was working for United Parcel Service under the auspices of the Teamsters Union, where our hourly pay for unskilled labor was almost four times minimum wage (with full benefits), the non-Teamsters UPS foreman who were company men always said "please" and "thank you" when giving orders to us pack mules.  

Strangely enough, as simple a curtesy as it was, it actually helped to sooth the usual labor/management friction. Although when real issues arose, the fallout could be downright dangerous.

   UMPD APD Joint Patrols

So I can see both sides of this grievance:  UMass police officers don't like being "inversed" to do work that is not spelled out in their contract, while their bosses want to ensure positive relations with the town of Amherst.

Meanwhile the hotspot areas saturated with students living off campus, don't get the full attention they deserve.  And it's the neighborhoods that will suffer.

So can we "please" figure this out before UMass comes back in session?

"Thank you!"

In The Matter Of ...

Anyone who has ever lost precious personal items in a sudden catastrophe knows that hollow feeling of helplessness that washes over you, along with guilty thoughts of what maybe you could have done to prevent it. 

Last April a dozen UMass students working on end-of-the-semester projects, or maybe just blowing off steam playing games (or wasting time on the Internet) suddenly felt that sick empty feeling that comes with first realizing your computer has vanished.  Stolen.

 UMass Du Bois Library

A serial thief, Christopher Desjardin age 30,  had staked out the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, making it his personal hunting preserve.  With Mac laptops his BIG game. The perp would stalk students with Macs (a fairly ubiquitous prey) and wait for a moment of inattention.  Then simply grab and go. 

Unlike a stolen bike, car or television -- which insurance (or parents) can quickly replace -- a laptop has untold hours of irreplaceable work invested within its hard drive.  Thus the devastation is squared.

In Eastern Hampshire District Court on Wednesday, Desjardin, with a public defender who cited his "remorse, guilt, shame", pled guilty to all 13 charges, 12 of them larceny over $250 and one for larceny under $250 (tools stolen from Amherst College).

The Du Bois Library only has one main point of entry, which is monitored by surveillance cameras, and after a thorough review UMPD narrowed down Desjardin as a suspect.  Plus another victim had given chase and was able to give police a description and identify him on surveillance tapes.

During a police stake out at the library he struck again, was followed by a UMPD officer to his car and quickly arrested red handed. 

Drugs played into his less than sophisticated methodology, as police recovered two hypodermic needles with heroin residue inside his vehicle. At least two of the expensive laptops were hawked at "Family Pawn Shop" in Springfield for a total of $550, well below Ebay potential. 

After reading all the charges Judge Poelher asked him "Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty?" to which he responded, barely above a whisper, "yes."

The prosecution had recommended a one year sentence in the House of Correction with 6 months served and 6 months suspended with mandatory "drug treatment." 

The Judge seemingly went beyond the prosecutor's request sentencing him on each charge to 18 months (rather than 12) six months served, twelve months suspended, two years probation, mandatory drug treatment, write a "letter of apology" to each victim and make restitution. 

But the sentences are all "concurrent" rather than front to back, meaning his total time served for all 13 sentences is only six months and even that could be reduced by the sheriff in charge at the jail. 

Not a lot of time considering all the heartache induced... and labor lost.

DUI Dishonor Roll

One out of every five college students has admitted to drunk driving

Melissa Morrissey, age 22, must have thought she was trying out for a role in Fast & Furious.  Yeah, vodka will do that.  

And it was precisely her dangerous driving that garnered the attention of high ranking UMPD officer Lt. Jessica Moore.  Ms. Morrissey ignored those hard to ignore flashing blue lights and continued to recklessly retreat from the law, even ignoring a spotlight.

When finally blocked in and forced to stop by another marked cruiser Morrissey put up a fight, as did the other occupant of her scud missile, Anthony Haight, age 23.  

   Just another DUI arrest

In Eastern Hampshire District Court on Tuesday both Perps pled "not guilty" and had their cases continued.  

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Also in District Court on Tuesday for a DUI offense, Arthur Copstein pled innocent and told the Judge he would hire an attorney (considering the car he was driving, no wonder), for a January 16 pre trial hearing.

   APD make DUI arrest