AAPD should have taken fraternity brawl seriously
To the Daily:
I am aghast at the blatant hypocrisy of the Ann Arbor Police
Department (Frat brawl may spur litigation, 02/17/04). Sgt.
Tom Seyfried said, “Its childish nonsense, and we have more
important crimes to pursue.”
Translated, “We only investigate the crimes that will
guarantee a return on our investment.”
I was not aware that deregulation had trickled down to those
responsible for our safety. Apparently, assault, breaking and
entering and destruction of property are just “boys will be
boys,” while having a few beers is an “important crime
to pursue.” Why is this the case? Investigating the crimes
that Calvin Kattola alleges in the article would certainly require
a great deal of effort on the part of the AAPD, in comparison to
the relative ease of issuing a few minor-in-possession citations.
Furthermore, the fines assessed on the perpetrators in this case
would never hope to cover the cost incurred in their investigation
and prosecution, while the fines from a few MIP tickets would
easily cover the salaries of the issuing officers and everyone who
processed the tickets in the office.
Basic economics has apparently come home to the AAPD. I am
certainly one for trying to reduce costs in police enforcement, but
not at the price of allowing serious crimes to be ignored, and
instead have the focus shifted to those crimes whose investigation
is deemed more profitable. The police are funded by the government
for this very reason — to ensure that justice is dealt out
fairly and equitably — and their handling of this incident
should prompt a serious re-evaluation of their investigative
procedures.
Ted Matherly
LSA sophomore
Information on website an error; College Republicans do not
support the MCRI
To the Daily:
In response to your vicious attack on our humble president,
Steve MacGuidwin, I would like to respond (Republican
solidarity, 02/17/04). The College Republicans never supported
the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative and will not until the state
Republican Party supports it. The information regarding MCRI
petitioning on our website was there in error, and every effort is
being made to remove it. If one were to be judged by his websites
and affiliations, instead of stated positions of his leaders,
students should ask why the Daily bashes President Bush so often
after accepting advertising money from the Republican National
Committee. Furthermore, the MCRI is one of the biggest political
issues in the state. As a political organization on campus we felt
the need to educate our members about it. Unfortunately, a group (a
para-terrorist group) decided to protest the event, and thus, the
event had to be closed off to the public for concerns over safety
of the speaker, Jennifer Gratz, and our membership.
MacGuidwin’s position is our stated position, and we would
appreciate you asking our leadership our position on political
topics, not trying to find a connection after you print an
opinion.
Dan Grano
LSA Senior