Many students across the University of Arizona campus are sure to have heard of a “Red Tag” before, but what exactly is it and what does receiving a Red Tag entail?
Red Tags are the result of the Tucson Police Department responding to off-campus residences that accommodate an unruly gathering which “disturbs the peace.” Disturbing the peace can be defined a number of different ways, including exorbitant noise, fighting, obstruction of streets or serving alcohol to minors.
The Red Tag itself is a red paper citation that is posted on the premise where a rowdy gathering took place and must remain visible on the residence for a period of 180 days. An attempt to remove, obscure or vandalize a Red Tag notice is classified as a civil infraction, and the offender will be fined $100.
The penalties for such disturbances include a minimum mandatory fine of $500 for the first occurrence, the posting of a Red Tag on the residence, possible citation or arrest for those involved and termination of the gathering.
Subsequent infractions of unruly gatherings at a particular residence will incur heftier fines for violators, with the second occurrence resulting in a $750 fine, $1,000 for the third occurrence and $1,500 for any occurrences thereafter.
The Dean of Students website says that the university will not discipline off-campus behavior merely because the offenders are students, unless there is a clear connection between said behavior and the campus community; however, according to Assistant Dean of Students Rosanna Curti, being a current UA student classifies a Red Tag incident as having a connection to the campus community.
If an unruly gathering involves UA students, the Dean of Students will be notified of the violation. Possible sanctions from the Dean of Students depend on the nature of the behavior, level of disruption, amount of people present when the Red Tag was issued and cooperation with police.
More information about red tags can be found at https://www.tucsonaz.gov/police/redtag.
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