Civic Responsibility Task Force Recommendations

The Task Force's study led to the recommendations listed and linked below. They are grouped into four themes -- Education, Enforcement, Communication, and Collaboration -- reflecting five guiding principles:

Enforcement

1. Continue to support cooperative efforts between the Athens and Ohio University Police departments to serve, educate, and protect in areas demonstrated to present heightened episodes of uncivil behavior on an acute or ongoing basis. These efforts should recognize the following factors and include the following specific elements:
   
   
   1. Enforcement has been shown to be an important factor in reducing acute uncivil behavior in other university communities.
      
      
   2. APD and OUPD have jointly patrolled the uptown and near neighborhood areas; each agency has other important service areas in the campus and the city respectively.
      
      
   3. While effective in reducing negative behaviors, both agencies have experienced increased overtime costs, officer "burnout" and reduced presence in other service areas.
      
      
   4. Continued joint patrols will likely present staffing issues that both the City and University will need to address.
      
      
   5. Continue to have OUPD provide support to APD on special weekends (e.g., Halloween, Palmerfest).
      
      
   6. Continue joint tactical planning between the agencies.
      
      
   7. Recognize the importance of balancing the enforcement role with the educational role and increase educational interactions between individual officers and citizens.
      
      
   8. Establish and communicate expectations of temporary law enforcement assistance.
      
      
2. Develop and deliver consistent sanctions for violations of community expectations. Communicate the range of likely sanctions and provide information about adjudicatory processes. Include the following:
   
   
   1. Maintain the present process of University Judiciaries responding to off-campus arrests by non-OU law enforcement.
      
      
   2. Investigate expanding Judiciaries responsibility to respond to other violations that do not involve arrest (repeated noise or trash violations).
      
      
   3. Involve students in pre-enforcement opportunities to help prevent violations (e.g., Palmer Street residents, city and university officials, and law enforcement prior to Palmerfest).
      
      
   4. Expand community service options for violators of city code or criminal laws. This measure will help educate violators on the impact of violations and work involved in keeping a safe and clean community.
      
      
3. Recognize that unplanned high density and deteriorating properties can contribute to a decline in civic responsibility. Organize efforts to mitigate and reverse their effects.
   
   
   1. Review and improve Housing code and enforcement mechanisms in order to upgrade rental living environments. Target enforcement efforts in areas of extreme neglect. Develop meaningful sanctions for persistent violators.
      
      
   2. Improve the external aesthetics of properties by addressing trash, external paint, parking, yards overgrown with weeds, rotting shutters, etc.
      
      
   3. Improve the public infrastructure -- crumbling retaining walls, deteriorating sidewalks -- in areas of notable decline.
      
      
   4. Review the overall demographics of rental areas to prevent high-density living problems.
      
      
   5. Review existing development and redevelopment policies to determine their contribution to unplanned high-density living environments.
      
      
4. City and university adopt strategies for accurately assessing and recovering the costs of extra enforcement, clean-up, and related efforts emanating from the outcomes of uncivil behavior.
   
   
5. Communication strategies
   
   
   1. Acting upon educational messaging and research, the OCLC would take the lead in generating both material and opportunity for communication of enforcement issues.
      
      
   2. Treating rights, consequences and positive behaviors as educational opportunities, the Center would identify windows of opportunity with a variety of audiences pursuing these audiences early and often educating the next wave of potential community members, next generation of landlords, etc.
      
      
   3. Examine "educational moments" provided by APD and OUPD during their routine interactions with these audiences and support these via the Center with materials, URL to WWW site, etc.
      
      
   4. Packaging of information as a part of University and City communications i.e. accompanying flyers or information as a part of routine business, etc.
      
      
   5. Enlist partners such as AEP, Columbia Gas, etc., as corporate sponsors or vehicles for the ongoing and consistent delivery of this information

- Education
- Enforcement
- Communication
- Collaboration