CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The start of the school year means most students have moved back into their college towns.

What You Need To Know

  • The Good Neighbor Initiative aims to strengthen communication between students living off campus and their neighbors

  • Chapel Hill Police Capt. Todd Harris said parking, trash/recycling and noise are all issues during the school year

  • Harris passed out literature with information on party registration and trash collection to students living off campus

But how do the families who live in those towns feel about it?

A Chapel Hill police officer is trying to strengthen those neighborly relationships.

Recently, Capt. Todd Harris was on a different kind of assignment.

“It’s a good way to get away from the office a little bit, and just meet people," Harris said.

With the new school year underway, Harris and a group of local volunteers, including staff from UNC Chapel Hill, are knocking on the doors of off-campus homes and apartments.

It’s all part of the Good Neighbor Initiative, a partnership between the UNC Chapel Hill, the town of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, which aims to help build a strong relationship between students who live off campus and their neighbors.

"When students come back, they have to let off steam. Noise complaints are the No. 1 thing we have. Parking is another issue, because we have parking limited in Chapel Hill," Harris said."When students come back, they have to let off steam. Noise complaints are the No. 1 thing we have. Parking is another issue, because we have parking limited in Chapel Hill," Harris said.

Last summer, there were nine calls for loud noise or party concerns in Chapel Hill during June and July. That number ballooned to 106 calls from August through November.

Harris passed out cups and magnets to every home. They have listed resources on them to help prevent some of those issues.

"There’s information on how to register parties. The town of Chapel Hill does have loud noise ordinance we expect everyone to adhere to, not only students," Harris said.

But all, Harris said, want the same thing, a safe year for themselves and their neighbors.

“At the end of the day if you can have neighbors looking out for your interest and you look out for their interests too, it just makes the whole neighborhood safer," Harris said.