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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-03-1998 ArticlesOpinion Iowa City Press-Citizen Page 13A Monday, Nov. 2, 1998 Our view Cameras on cop cars will help all of us Iowa City police are excited about a $66,000 fed- eral grant that will pay for video cameras on ail marked cruisers. The community also should be excited. Cameras have been long sought by police as valuable tools for traffic stops. The stops can pose great risk for officers as they are approach- ing or waiking away from cars. Cameras, it is believed, make suspects think twice before attempting violence. And if an officer .is injured, a video of the inci- dent can help police identify and catch the suspect. Videos also have become routine in courtrooms, clear- ly demonstrating the actions of suspects resisting arrest or attempting field tests for drunk driving. All that is good. The cam- eras are worthwhile for those reasons alone. But they have become a double-edged sword for police. The videos also can The issue: · Federal grant will pay for video cameras on Iowa City police cars. We suggest: · The goal is to protect police, but the cameras also will help protect the community. be used to prove that police acted improperly. Who can possibly forget the video -- shot by a civil- ian-- of Rodney King being beaten by police? Or, the cameras can be used to prove police didn't do anything wrong. Let's not forget, that also can be the Everyone will benefit police, criminal suspects and law-abiding residents. There's no down side to this. We welcome the grant with open arms. Assault charge too much for using a laser pointer on cop A fad, it seems, has seri- ous consequences. Laser pointers used to be the toy of the three-piece-suit set. Pull out a laser pointer (at $60 or $70 on the low end) and use it to direct attention in your fancy visu- al-aid presentation. It was a mark of success. The price has come down. Ten bucks, and anyone can have one. They're sold on store counters as key chains. They used to be in cases. Now they're out where any- body can shoplift one. Why are they popular? Who knows. But schools don't like them. They're a distraction. Police, especiaily, don't like them. When that little red dot of light hits you, there's no way to tell if it's someone playing with a laser pointer -- or someone using a laser sight on a gun. A local teen-ager found out recently just how much police don't like the toys. He pointed one at the back of a police officen Another offi- cer saw it. Cheap laser point- er or gun sight? That teen now faces an assault charge. When was the last time an assassin used a laser sight on a gun to kill a local police officer? Can't say. Certainly not in recent memory. Tmth is, the sights aren't all that common. They're expensive. They're illegal for hunting. They always have been a high-tech toy for better-off gun collectors. They will remain so for the foreseeable future. That is not to say laser pointers should be aimed at police or anyone else. The dot from a laser pointer looks just like the dot from a laser sight. As rare a~s an assassin might be, how would we have police react? How should police react when someone points a real- istic water pistol at them? Wait to see if it's real'? The teen-ager who aimed the laser pointer at the officer ought to face serious conse- quences. To put it bluntly, he caused the officer to fear for his life, and the teen himself risked being shot. That's serious. But assault? Find a charge. Find a penalty. But make sure it fits the crime. So far, we haven't done that. The Daily Iowan Students snub *police forum · Although the' police review board .mee. ting was targeted toward.students, only six attended. · . By Zack Kucharski The Daily Iowan About 30 people attended a Tues- day night forum designed to open dis: cussion about police policies -- but~ half of the audience was made up o~ the police themselves. The forum, called by the Police Citi- zens Review Board, was targeted toward students, yet only six showed up to voice concerns about public intox- ication arrests and a proposed change that would extend police power in the enforcement of ~loud" house parties. Forum attendees addressed th~ board, and members or police officers answered their questions. Many speak- ers said they were uncomfortable with giving the police any broader discretion. However, an officer's discretion is important, said Iowa City police Officer P,~A. Mebus, though it may be the root of disputes between residents and officers. "Every decision I make is second- guessed seven times, from my super- Police review board holds a forum; students absent FORUM Continued from Page lA visors, attorneys and others. I'm very aware what's necessary to do it right,' he said. "If we arrested everyone that deserved to be arrested, we would need a jail the size of six dormitories and have public transit on duty ready for people 24 hours a day.' When applied to the proposed party ordinance, many residents feel that broadened discretion -- allowing officers to act as com- plainants and disperse parties -- would give police too much power. ~I'm a responsible person who can take care of my property," vol senior Kevin Burgess said. ~I think that the'party ordinance would be abused by officers. They may az well walk into my backyard and join.' Speakers at the forum said the same is true when it comes to the charge of public intoxication. ~I feel very safe in Iowa City, but I have difficulty with public intox," UI freshman Gwen Cazsidy said. wi understand something like a fight, but I don't feel that walking crooked merits intoxication.' There is no alcohol level required to bo charged with public intoxica- tion, which is a state law, said police Sgt. Sid Jackson, adding that persons charged with public intoxication demonstrated real or simulated intoxication. The charge is expunged from the person's record ai'mr two years. The issue is deeper than walking crooked, Mebus said. It's about pre- venting other alcohol-related offenses such az assault and theft. ~Chances are in order to get public intoxication, you do something prst- ty dumb," he said. ~You may bo walk- ing down the street, and you're beat- ing up newepaper boxes or bouncing off wails, but we have the obligation to protect the owners of these The police are doing the beet they can with what they are deMt, Iowa City resident Anna Buss said. 'Anyone who was downtown this past weekend saw what officers have to deal with each day,' she said. "They have a very tough job. We have a good police departmen.t that has taken a lot of bad PR.' pi repoRer za,e liuel~l/can be reached et: zk~chars@blue.weeg.ui0wa.ed u See FORUM, Page 4A '/he Gazette, Wednesday, October 28, 1998, 1B Police handling of laws on drinking questioned By Lynn M. Tefft Gazette Johnson County Bureau IOWA CITY - Amanda Coyne said she couldn't be- lieve it when a friend told her police had arrested him for public intoxication while he was waiting for a cab downtown. "Just waiting for a cab?" Coyne told members of the Police Citizens Review Board IOWA CITY at a forum last night, urging the board to review how po- lice ofl~lcers enforce the law. Coyne's sentiments were echoed by several who ad- dressed the board at the fo- rum, which was attended by about 50 people. About half were officers, who defended the department's actions. "If someone gets too drunk to care for themselves, this gives me a methodology to take care of them," said offi- cer R.A. Mebus. Some University of Iowa students asserted that en- forcement of the law is exces- sive and unwarranted, espe- cially when it comes to students. Officers explained they on- ly arrest people who are drawing attention to them- selves by doing something that places themselves or oth- ers at risk. Some came to the forum to contest the so-called party or- dinance under consideration by the City Council, which would give police the ability to disperse parties that threaten "injury to persons or property" without first re- ceiving a complaint from the neighbors. "The ordinance won't be used to take care of parties better than they are already taken care of - it will be used and abused," said Richard Twohy, urging the board to offer input to the council. Others showed their sup- port for the Police Depart- ment. Local property manag- er Anna Buss said there was an exodus from her proper- ties in the Broadway/Taylor neighborhood after a shoot- ing there earlier this year, but people's faith has been restored thanks to enforce- ment efforts. Broadway resident Heather McAdam, however, said she opposes such enforcement. Her minority friends are be- ing unfairly labeled as crimi- nals, she said, and are power- less to fight back because they don't know their rights. Enforcement efforfs are not racially motivated, Sgt. Sid Jackson said. "It's criminal activity start- ed by narcotics," he said. "If it didn't exist, we wouldn't have to be there. People are asking for our help." Iowa City Press Citizen, Wednesday, October 28, 1998, Front Page City, police discuss alcohol arrests By Larissa Ulstad The Press-Citizen Drinking charges and the party ordinance soon to go before City Council were two topics Tuesday night at a Police Citizens Review Board's com- munity forum. Mom than 40 people -- half of whom were officers attended the second community forum and shared wide-ranging concerns about the police department and the community. The PCRB was formed in 1997 to review reports prepared by the police chief after investi- gation of police misconduct, maintain a registry of com- plaints and provide the informa- tion to the City Council. The board has no authority over police matters, but reviews poli- cies and procedures and can make recommendations for changes. Amanda Coyne, a graduate student at the University of Iowa, expressed concerns about police charging people with public intoxication even if they are walking home. "It's becoming a city where it's safer to drive than walk," she said. Iowa City Police Sgt. Sid Jackson said binge drinking is a problem that community lead- ers are trying to address in a variety of ways. "It's our responsibility and obligation to take responsibility for their actions," he said, adding that most people arrest- ed for public intoxication draw attention to themselves by their conduct. Iowa City Police Capt. Patrick Hamey said that state and federal codes dictate alco- hol-related crh'nes, often pro- viding funding and directives for enforcement. He said the city can be held accountable. John Watson, PCRB board member, said the issues cen- tered on perception and dis- cretion. He said the PCRB can't change perceptions, but police discretion could be looked at. Paul Horley of the PCRB said the community forums are a learning experience for the board as they listen to citizens and police officers.