Like many members of the UW Greek community, I couldn’t get ahold of officer Rene Gonzalez for this article. Several phone calls, voice mails and strolls along Langdon Street and the surrounding area — the one neighborhood Gonzalez patrols — weren’t enough to find the elusive policeman.

Now, for the scores of Greek houses on Langdon Street, that might not be the worst thing in the world. Frats can throw parties with little police interference as long as they’re registered with the Interfraternity Council and not bursting onto the sidewalks.

But whereas the traditional party-busting cop agenda might be vacant from Gonzalez’s agenda, Langdon Street safety shouldn’t be compromised either.

In fact, while Madison police simply patrol most areas in the central district, the Langdon neighborhood officer’s sole responsibility is to communicate on an even closer basis with the area’s residents.

Madison Police Department Capt. Mary Schauf said in a press conference that the neighborhood officer’s purpose, aside from building a relationship between MPD and the student body, is to be able to stabilize the area so police resources can be used elsewhere.

“[State Street and Langdon] are particularly challenging because of the turnover in the populations in both of those areas,” she said. “And one of the things we look for when we stabilize a neighborhood is that the people who live there kind of take over a new level of ownership, essentially to solve the issues in the neighborhood.”

While those issues haven’t been solved yet, on Langdon major efforts are being made to increase safety, at least on weekends. Newly elected Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, has stepped up his efforts in the neighborhood by working with the Greek community on Langdon Street Watch, a program started by former Langdon community officer Tony Fiore.

Eagon’s work on the project is a continuation of what Fiore created with the Greek community in 2006. In 2008, the project was deemed so successful that Fiore was honored for his work with Greek life and Langdon Street safety.

Currently, Eagon is satisfied with Langdon Street Watch but also feels it requires more involvement from the Langdon Street population.

“One of things about the Greek community, especially with the Langdon Street Watch program on Friday and Saturday evenings, is that we’re trying to be proactive and be deterrent to crimes,” Eagon said. “It’s been pretty successful especially when there’s big Greek involvement. … It’s been an important tool in the community to get people to participate and make the area safer.”

In addition to Eagon’s involvement with Langdon Street Watch, he is also currently working on an initiative to reimburse property owners up to $500 for installing effective lighting that could deter crime in the area.

But nevertheless, the fact still remains that while Eagon’s efforts have been candid, Gonzalez could be doing more. Although he speaks at some safety meetings and gives crime updates for the Greek community, some fraternity members have found it difficult to reach the neighborhood officer. One particular fraternity executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to keep good relations with Gonzalez, has attempted to reach his community officer several times but often has to wait sometimes as long as a week before hearing back.

“Honestly, sometimes the best course of action would be to go out and find him walking up and down the street because he never picks up his phone,” he said. “When you can find him, he’s really helpful, but most of the time that’s the hardest part.”

The most troubling aspect of Langdon Street safety is the lack of communication between MPD and residents who don’t live in Greek houses. According to Eagon, while Gonzalez makes a clear effort to reach out to the Greek community, those living in apartments or houses on Langdon won’t know to contact Gonzalez if something occurs.

“Without seeing him at a chapter meeting, it’s going to be hard to know that he’s the guy to go to,” Eagon said. “I mean, if people are talking to me or their property owners, then we can connect people with officer Gonzalez. I know he’s been trying to be a visible presence in the community, but it is often hard to reach people who aren’t in the Greek community.”

With Gonzalez and Schauf looking to step up enforcement on Langdon, it doesn’t look like Schauf’s goal of stabilizing the neighborhood is close to happening. Gonzalez’ unreachable status isn’t helping Schauf and the MPD’s cause either.

Jonah Braun ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism and Hebrew and Semitic studies.