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… with Binghamton Police Chief Steven R. Tronovitch

In this segment, we get in a few words with the movers and shakers of the University community. From real-estate moguls to the cops to the University president, these are the people whose words and actions affect our daily lives.

This week we sat down with Steven R. Tronovitch, the chief of the Binghamton Police Bureau. His officers are the ones who keep State Street safe –- or significantly less rowdy — and are on the front line dealing with drunks, fights and loud parties. We talked to him about what it’s like dealing with the best and worst we Bearcats have to offer.

Pipe Dream: Coming into this position, as you did in May, what would you think would be the greatest challenge in what you’d like to change here?

Steven R. Tronovitch: This kind of goes hand in hand with the University, but what I’ve tried to do here through my administration is to make us much more accessible, to make people more comfortable … One aspect of community policing, is we’re trying to improve our visibility, our responsiveness, our effectiveness and accessibility.

PD: What are the challenges that you foresee now in administrating the police to a city that is tied so closely to the university community?

ST: The challenges aren’t unique; they’ve been around forever. From the perspective that I’m coming from, the challenges are trying to make the students understand that when they are in the community — and they’re very welcome in the community — there is a balance with what students like to do and still respect their neighbors. What happens sometimes there is that the balance tips in the other direction, particularly when it starts out with a nice little party that grows through word of mouth through a Web site or whatever and all of a sudden you’ve got a situation where the neighbors at 4 o’clock in the morning are calling us and asking us for help in trying to quiet things down. And that is problematic, but that’s not unique.

PD: Would you say that’s a growing concern for you since more students are moving to the West Side?

ST: I don’t know if it’s a concern but it’s certainly something that needs to be addressed. And that’s what we’re trying to do with the help of the University. They’ve been very good as far as helping us reach out to the students and making us a little bit more accessible so that you understand what our job is and why we do some of the things we do. It all relates back to dialogue.

PD: What are the positive aspects, then, of having a university so close?

ST: You guys bring a youth, a vibrancy to energize here. Frankly, you really do. And I think that’s important. We’re a community that has lost a lot of jobs and ultimately population because of the job loss. And BU and the students have helped fill that void — and very positively, I might add.

PD: How would you like to see the relationship change during your administration?

ST: Through dialogue. The University and it’s students are such an integral part of our community, it’s important that we develop a relationship with them — as opposed to just co-existing. They’ve got to understand us, we need to understand them. And I think we started doing that a little bit over the last year. I’ve got some things that I’ve developed that is on your Web site: “Laws that you as students should be aware of.” We’re hoping that little things like that will help you understand what the expectations are when you’re in our community here. You guys are community members, that’s what you are. That being said, I think it’s important what the expectations and responsibilities are as members of the community.