University Hill, a section of Boulder plagued in past years by rowdy parties and worse, saw a long-sought decrease in crime and police calls this spring.
From January to May, Boulder police reported an 18% reduction in calls for police services and a 29% reduction in crimes compared to the same period in 2023.
The number of noise and nuisance party violations on University Hill is at the lowest in nearly two decades. Most recent data provided by the city shows roughly 25 violations in the 2022-2023 academic year compared to more than 50 the year before and more than 200 two years prior.
“I wasn’t surprised (by the data) because we’ve been putting a lot of effort into that area,” Interim Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said. “But I was also very pleased because it shows the intentional work we’ve been doing there is working.”
The type of crimes referenced in the data include quality of life violations, which largely refer to noise disturbances and nuisance of party. It also includes crimes related to liquor law violations, substance use issues, property crimes and fireworks and weapons calls.
“That’s been a source of concern among residents there over the last year,” Boulder Police Department Chief Data Analyst Daniel Reinhard said. “So we’re really optimistic that these reductions we’re seeing, especially in those quality of life calls going down, is definitely a good thing.”
One reason for the crime reduction is the growth of the University of Colorado Boulder’s party registration program.
“The main goal of that program is really to educate students on how to have a responsible social gathering off-campus,” Jeff Morris, CU Boulder’s director of off-campus housing and neighborhood relations, said. “I think for too long CU was just not involved with that piece of this.”
‘Good neighbor’ lessons
Morris said an incident in 2021 sparked a lot of conversation at CU Boulder about the Hill. In March of that year, a SWAT team responded to a large, out-of-control party on the Hill with hundreds of people engaging in riotous behavior.
“We’ve really come in and redesigned what it means to engage with a student that now lives off campus,” Morris said. “With that incident occurring a few years ago, one of the big pieces was nuisance concerns and party concerns.”
Party registration is offered in a partnership between CU Boulder and the Boulder Police Department as an opportunity for students to reduce their risk of getting a ticket while hosting a party. Students who join the program take a one-time 45-minute class that reviews city ordinances, teaches how and when to engage with police and provides tips on how to be a good neighbor.
“One of the biggest shifts that we saw is that students are now starting to meet their neighbors at 2 o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, not 2 a.m. Friday morning,” Morris said.
Students then register any party they host with the university. If a neighbor calls the police for a noise complaint, the student gets a phone call warning instead of immediately being issued a ticket.
Students are taught to build relationships with their neighbors through the program and how to be a good neighbor. Morris said students are letting their neighbors know when they’re having a party. Now, the neighbor can text the student if it’s too loud, as opposed to calling the police.
“We’re seeing this communal interaction and engagement that we’ve never really seen before on such a positive level,” Morris said.
Roughly 1,000 students enrolled in the party registration program last year, he said, and now there are close to 1,300 to 1,400 students enrolled. One student will typically do so, to represent the entire household.
CU Boulder also has a neighborhood ambassadors program that can help with issues beyond noise and party complaints. A team of students responds to issues reported by neighbors and initiates peer-to-peer conversations, like about trash in yards.
“It’s clearly a result of a strategic partnership, I’d say, that we have with the city of Boulder as well as the university off-campus housing neighborhood resources as well as some of our alcohol and other drug programs here on campus,” Joshua Ferguson, CU Boulder Police Department patrol commander, said. “So to know that those resources and efforts are having a positive impact is highly encouraging for us.”
Ferguson said the key is building relationships and developing trust and understanding.
“Our students are here to get an education,” Ferguson said, adding, “We feel that it’s partly our responsibility to also provide them with an opportunity to be good citizens and understand what it is to be a good neighbor and contributing member of society.”
Hill residents notice improvements
Scott Thomas has lived in his home on the Hill since 1999. He shares a block with eight large multi-complex student houses with 20 to 30 students each.
Thomas and his family have had problems with late-night noise from students, especially when his children were young, about 15 years ago.
“In the last two years … we’ve seen some big improvements,” Thomas said. “Things are much better.”
Thomas said the party registration program and the education component, like telling students about the city’s 11 p.m. noise ordinance, has helped significantly.
“I don’t think students in the past even knew that (ordinance) existed,” Thomas said, adding, “We think addressing the problem before it happens is the perfect solution. Educate students that you’re not in the dorms anymore and when you share a neighborhood, you have to be respectful.”
The first weekend Deanne Fujii moved to her home on the Hill in 1996 there were couches burning in alleys.
When her children were little, there was a riot in the streets.
“It was dangerous and out of control,” Fujii said. “But in general, I think there has definitely been improvement.”
Fujii said educating students and the growth of the party registration program has helped create community and awareness.
“I think that creates more community and understanding both ways,” Fujii said. “I’ve seen that hugely where I live. I live right next to students. I think the respect that students have in general has been really great.”
Fujii and the students living nearby meet and exchange phone numbers, and the students send a text when they’re having a party. Once, she even got a loaf of banana bread from new student neighbors.
“I think a lot of that is just education, and there’s a lot of programs in place that are successful in changing the feeling of community with the neighbors and students that live with us,” Fujii said.
She said there’s still work to be done. Fireworks at this time of year are an issue with fire danger and noise, and there are still student houses that have noise violations and are usually repeat offenders. Fujii said efforts should continue to reach all residents on the Hill to understand their unique experiences.
“The young people a lot of times haven’t really lived on their own, and I think don’t understand how they’re affecting their neighbors,” Fujii said, adding, “I think there’s still issues, but overall I think there’s been a general improvement.”
Success stems from partnerships
In addition to partnering with the university, the Boulder Police Department has worked with landlords, property managers and businesses on the Hill.
In one instance, the department was having issues with a bar on the Hill, called the Taco Junky, where there were problems with weapons calls and underage drinking. Redfearn said they tried to get the bar to cooperate but they were unwilling. The bar continued engaging in “egregious behavior,” he said.
“It got to the point where it was clear they were not going to do what they needed to do, to be a viable business in that area,” Redfearn said. “Then we worked with our licensing authority and they were shut down permanently, which I think is a significant thing. And it might be the first time that’s ever happened.”
Redfearn said the closure also sends a message to other businesses in the area that the police will support them when things are done right, but if not, there will be consequences.
‘Problem’ designation removed
The crime on University Hill didn’t just move around the corner, Reinhard said. He uses geography tools to look at maps of where crimes happen to understand if it’s moving elsewhere, changing the time of day or manifesting in another offending behavior.
“We’re keeping a close eye to see as we’re doing this if we’re seeing issues crop up nearby somewhere else,” Reinhard said.
University Hill was previously designated as one of two problem areas for the Boulder Police Department, but because of the decrease in crime, the police are removing that designation from the Hill. Downtown Boulder is the other problem area, and the new one will be designated in north Boulder based on a spike in crime there.
“The direct relationship we have with the community, especially in the University Hill neighborhood, has allowed us to see the reduction,” Redfearn said. “We wouldn’t have been able to do that without the community and the cooperation of the vast majority of businesses and landlords and all our partners up there.”
Redfearn said Boulder police will still have a presence on the Hill, especially as the CU Boulder conference center and hotel opens along with other new businesses. He said the police will continue to monitor crime on the Hill closely to make sure a reallocation of resources doesn’t result in a spike in crime.
“We’re not done on the Hill,” he said.
