Northside Iowa City residents frustrated with increase of 'drunk boys'

Noise complaints in Iowa City's historic Northside neighborhood are down in 2011, despite claims from two residents that college students are taking over the area.

In 2010, police responded to 217 disorderly house complaints in the area. So far in 2011, they've responded to just 71 such calls.

"We have been tracking what's been going on in all the neighborhoods surrounding downtown," said Sgt. Denise Brotherton.  "Because that was a concern with the 21 (only) ordinance."

Earlier this month, two Northside residents sent letters to the city council, asking them to do something about the noise.

"It is our opinion that all you have done is drive the drunks out of downtown and into the neighborhoods to wander, get drunk, wander some more do mischief, vomit on the petunias, and scream at the top of their lungs," Steve Smith, who lives on North Van Buren Street, wrote  in a letter to the council.

According to police data, criminal mischief complaints on the north side have remained steady over the past three years.  There have been 42 complaints in 2011, while there were 52 in 2010 and 58 in 2009.

"We do want to encourage people to call us when it is occurring so we can direct our attention to where the problems are," Brotherton said.

In a phone interview Wednesday, Smith said he doesn't have a problem with most of the students living in his neighborhood, but a few "haven't grown up yet."