Three Northeastern students were arrested on Tremont Street early Monday morning in an initial crackdown on underage drinking by Boston police.

Boston Police Department (BPD) officers observed a large crowd gathering in front of 1472 Tremont Street around 12:30 a.m., according to a BPD release.

Officers spotted several individuals drinking alcohol outside the residence, including the three Northeastern students who were all freshmen.

The arrests created a buzz of conversation at a “Welcome to the Neighborhood” event for the incoming class on Tuesday, where sparse details of the incident were discussed by BPD Captain William Evans, who is in charge of the Back Bay, Fenway and South End neighborhoods.

The arrested students were each charged with drinking alcoholic beverages in public and underage possession of alcoholic beverages, according to the release.

Director of Government Relations and Community Affairs Jeff Doggett said more than 200 people were in attendance at the Tremont Street residence.

“There were a lot of underage drinkers, and there were a lot of people acting inappropriately, and the officers made the decision to make the arrests,” he said.

Doggett said the consequences were in line with the actions.

“The message is that if you don’t act inappropriately, you don’t have any problems, but if you do act inappropriately, arrests are going to be made and there were arrests over the weekend,” he said.

Vice President for Student Affairs Ed Klotzbier said he was “not as much surprised as disappointed” by the weekend’s arrests.

“We keep telling students they have to be representatives in the neighborhood and the police and the neighborhood are serious about this,” Klotzbier said.

More than 220 students received serious sanctions, including expulsion and suspension, from the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution last year, according to a letter released today from the Office for Student Affairs.

“I just hope students will get the message that the police are serious about this,” Klotzbier said. “We are serious about this, and when we hear about it, especially off-campus parties and off-campus student conduct issues, we’re going to deal with it.”

Doggett said the scrutiny isn’t a reflection of public opinion, but that university officials are working together with neighbors to maintain the community’s quality of life.

“This is not against the students,” he said. “There aren’t neighbors in the city that are trying to get rid of students, but everybody does want a peaceful community, and when students act inappropriately, there are going to be consequences both through the Code of Student Conduct and the Boston Police Department.”