Noble Wray has been Madison's acting police chief since the retirement of Richard Williams April 1 and is among the candidates a commission is considering for the position. Wray is currently working to curb disorderly behavior during the annual Halloween celebration. The Daily Cardinal interviewed Wray about his opinions on Halloween, campus safety and alcohol consumption.
The Daily Cardinal: There was an increase in crime on campus since students moved back. Is this cause for increased concern?
Noble Wray: I'm always concerned when we see an increase in activity or an increase in crime in any area of the city, but ... it's not uncommon to have an increase right around the beginning of the school year ... However, I was very concerned with the incidents that took place on the street. Our downtown area, State Street area, is a very vibrant area, and we want to make sure that it is a safe and attractive place for people to go.
DC: One concern for students is the possible increase in fines for drinking violations before Halloween. How have you worked on this and what are your thoughts on increasing fines?
NW: If you look at the year before, we did not issue anywhere close to the number of tickets we issued last year ... This year, in terms of the increased fines, yes we are looking at it and hoping that it will be a deterrent ... I believe that in getting the word out ... students coming into the event will do a cost-benefit analysis ... Now, there's no question ... that if someone is in the heat of being disorderly, intoxicated, etc., that they're not going to do the same cost-benefit analysis. So we are very practical about what we hope to get out of this.
DC: Do you think the Halloween Planning Committee is effectively addressing the problems of Halloween?
NW: I could not be more pleased with the positive activities that are being generated from the planning group, from students ... And what we have determined is that when it is a festive event ... then our chances of making sure it continues that way are a lot better.
DC: What are your thoughts about staggering or extending bar time during major events like Halloween?
NW: I'm about 50-50 with that. On one side, I could see some value in keeping kind of a consistent, moderate flow ... The reason that we've had a lot of discussion on this topic is that we need to be able to conclude that we're getting at one point in time large numbers of people coming out ... But we also have people coming from house parties, so for me that is one where I'd like to see more information before I say we have to do this or we have to do that. If they want to experiment with that I am not opposed to it, but I am not in a position to say, \If you do this, then I believe this will happen.""
DC: If you are chosen as police chief, are there any goals you have or things you would like to change?
NW: I think what needs to happen is that we need to shore up the competing interests and expectations for the downtown area. We've got a student population that utilizes the downtown area, we have an entertainment district, we have an arts district, we have more people coming into the downtown area to live ... How do we make sure that we're keeping the downtown area vibrant by creating an environment where the competing interests can coexist.
-Interview conducted by Maureen Backman
