Another year of keeping drunken revelers in line has come and gone for the Isla Vista Foot Patrol. According to IVFP Lt. Tom McKinny, 2002 was not that much different than any other year.

“Not having specific statistics in front of me I would say that 2002 was similar to other years; there was not a significant increase or decrease in crime. There is a level of violence that wasn’t here in the ’80s, though,” McKinny said.

McKinny, who had worked at the Foot Patrol in the 1980s as a deputy and as a detective in 1992, was assigned as lieutenant of the IVFP in September.

Through programs such as parental notification, extended jurisdiction for the university and the landlord notification system, McKinny said he seeks to bring a more communal stance towards fighting crime in Isla Vista. Parental notification is a system whereby the police inform the parents of a UCSB student when their child has been arrested. Extended jurisdiction allows the university to take legal action towards students who commit offences in Isla Vista.

Landlord notification, a relatively new policy, allows police to notify landlords of their tenants’ unruly behavior. “When one property is having problems like growing marijuana or fights we will notify the landlord. We’re not going to tell the landlord after one loud party, but if there are repeat offences we will,” McKinny said.

McKinny also expressed a concern regarding the number of burglaries. After attending a refresher course on problem-oriented policing in San Diego, he proposes to more actively address theft.

“Instead of sitting back taking police reports we’re going to be targeting those who are on our offender list, and we will be out looking for them,” McKinny said. “It is also important for students to remember not to leave their doors and windows unlocked.”

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