The Michigan Daily - Monday une 8, 1998
Edited and managed by CHRIS FARAII DAVID WALLACE
students at the + ttt' Editor in Chief Editorial Page Editor
University of Michigan
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p olice officers nationwide often find
themselves the subject of criticism, be
it from community activists, rap artists or
the lawbreakers they apprehend. While
some of these complaints are justified,
they often overshadow the fine service
police departments perform for their com-
munities. Here in Ann Arbor, the AAPD
deserves praise for its programs that reach
out to the community, and curious resi-
dents should participate in some of the
offerings.
Many people who live and work rin
Ann Arbor probably do not know much
about the everyday operation of the
police department. In hopes of educating
the public, the AAPD offers the Ann
Arbor Citizens' Police Academy. This
program increases public awareness of
the various facets of policework.
Through demonstrations and explana-
tions of procedures, the AAPD should
continue to soften the somewhat adver-
sarial relationship between citizens and
the police.
Best defense
AAPD programs reach out to the community
Students in particular look upon the
police with a suspicious eye. But stu-
dents should not ignore the efforts the
AAPD makes to work with them.
Drinking is a serious problem affecting
the University, and AAPD officers con-
duct talks with fraternities and sororities
to educate members about alcohol
abuse. In the face of high-profile alco-
hol-related deaths on other campuses
last year, the AAPD should continue to
keep its lines of communication open
with students so that such tragedies do
not occur here at the University.
The AAPD also deserves credit for its
handling of University events such as the
Naked Mile. The officers' presence makes
the event a good deal safer, and they do not
interfere in what is essentially a harmless,
though technically illegal, event.
Participating students worry less about
groping and other assaults because offi-
cers are nearby. The AAPD should apply
its methods for handling the Naked Mile to
other instances of crowd control, where
officers' responses have sometimes left a
great deal to be desired.
Sadly, each academic year generally
has its share of assaults, sexual and other-
wise. To reduce the number of incidences,
students would be well-served to attend
the Personal Safety Program - a self-
defense clinic offered by the AAPD. These
courses stress prevention as much as
defense, resulting in students that under-
stand how to make themselves less vulner-
able. An educated campus makes for a
safer campus.
Certainly, the AAPD is not without its
faults. The handling of last year's Ohio
State football game is a glaring example,
with officers pummeling and pepp
spraying the initial students who poure
onto the field after the Michigan victory.
While those students did commit a civil
infraction, it did not warrant the brutal
measures taken. The AAPD should now
concentrate on improving its own proce-
dures in areas such as crowd management
- perhaps using the Naked Mile as a
model. As a part of that improvement, the
AAPD should work with the public to find
a solution that will prevent occurrences
violence.
To create a safer, more friendly envi-
ronment, the AAPD and Ann Arbor citi-
zens need to work together. The.AAPD
can teach citizens a great deal about pre-
venting crimes and tragedies. Citizen
participation is necessary to suggest
ways the AAPD can improve its proce-
dures. Working together, Ann Arbor can
become a better community.
An armed society
Guns should not become easier to acquire
More Michigan residents may soon
have legal consent to carry loaded
guns in their cars or under cover on their
persons. Pending legislation would make it
harder to deny special permits for carrying
handguns to people without a history of
crime or mental illness. As private citizens
wielding handguns are far more likely to
cause accidental deaths than to protect
themselves, Michigan legislators should
oppose this bill and any future attempts to
ease handgun regulations.
Under Michigan's current law, people
applying for right-to-carry permits must
convince gun boards that they need or
deserve the special authorization. The
pending bill, however, aims to revise the
permit distribution protocol such that
gun boards will have to find reasons not
to issue permits to applicants. The pro-
posed change would, in effect, reverse
the state's nonverbal stance on gun con-
trol. By making permit denial the excep-
tion rather than the norm, Michigan
would convey the unspoken message that
normal private citizens should carry
guns and that only aberrant individuals
should not.
The danger of such a message is made
duly evident by statistics highlighting the
high frequency of deliberate and acciden-
tal misuse of private firearms. A 1986
study published in the New England
Journal of Medicine found that, in cases
involving guns kept in private homes,
there were 43 suicides, homicides or
accidental shooting deaths for every
instance of self-protection. Accordingly,
legislation making guns a more common
public fixture will more likely jeopardize
the safety of Michigan's citizens than
protect it. Though the bill would mandate
gun safety training, it would not ensure
proper use of guns.
Proponents of right-to-carry laws,
including the National Rifle
Association, have this time framed their
public push for legislation as a women's
safety issue, maintaining that the bill
will both deter crime and better enable
women to protect themselves against
violent criminals. Many of these propo-
nents, however, neglect to consider that
the legislation will not only arm women,
but will also make it easier for criminals
to arm themselves in public and will
increase their ability to commit crimes
against women.
Despite the NRA's push for the right-
to-carry bill as a partial solution to vio-
lence against women, gun vendors find
themselves serving an almost negligible
number of female customers. In fact,
more than 10 times more guns were reg-
istered to men than women last year. In
Washtenaw County last year, less than
five percent of all concealed weapons
permits were issued to women.
Furthermore, Rep. Mary Shroer (D-Ann
Arbor) says that polls show women over-
whelmingly oppose the terms set forth in
the pending bill.
Any legislation that arms the public
poses a threat to the nation's general safe-
ty. A gun-toting public will find itself rid-
dled with accidental deaths and throngs of
legally armed assailants. Though the pack-
age has a strong House backing, law
enforcement groups, private citizens and
legislators must oppose relaxing gun laws.
The safety of Michigan's citizens rests
heavily on regulations ensuring that
weapons will not become a commonplace
fixture in public.
Prudent spending
Bills will help combat domestic violence
omestic violence is an issue that too avenues. Officers need preparation to
often goes unrecognized. But the feder- know how best to deal with such explo-
al government is taking action that will aid sive, unique circumstances.
victims of domestic violence. Two new Stabenow's sponsorship of these two
pieces of legislation will help the victims of bills will strengthen the efforts made t
domestic violence by giving them another check domestic violence. Funding to loc
outlet of help within their communities, and police can be transformed into training
it will help law enforcement agencies deal that produces officers well-prepared to
with domestic problems. protect the community from domestic
Rep. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) is abuse. Law enforcers could also use the
the driving force behind the upcoming leg- money to develop educational programs
islation. Both bills, which will be voted on for the community at large. Educating cit-
later this summer, seek to reinstate fund- izens about domestic violence and their
ing for existing legislation. One bill main- rights can help prevent such instances
tains a national toll-free hotline for victims from occurring. The proposed legislatiou
of domestic violence, while the other helps deal with the issues at hand.
sends funding to law enforcement agen- The national toll-free telephone hotline
cies on a local level. Stabenow's sponsor- serves all of America's communities. This
ship will keep this four-year-old legisla- program makes help easily accessible to
tion alive. Now the legislation is making all, providing a comforting, trained friend
its way to the House and is expected to be only a phone call away. Talking about a
well received. "This type of legislation traumatic situation can help victims gather
gains bipartisan support and is usually their thoughts and find ways to leave a
passed quickly," says Stabenow's press dangerous situation. Victims of domestic
secretary, Matthew Frankel. violence may sometimes feel that no one
The issue of domestic violence is one can help them, but the very existence of
that demands the attention of all this phone line shows them otherwise.
Americans. Occurrences of domestic vio- Stabenow's impending bills enable the
lence have the power to destroy not only community to play an active part in the
the relationships at work in a family, but battle against domestic violence. This
the lives as well. The impressions that activism allows communities-around the
domestic violence leaves on its victims are country to develop an effective defense
measureless. Yet many individuals seek that discourages domestic violence,
answers to their disputes through physical soothes victims and punishes offenders.
blows. As shocking as it is, domestic vio- Domestic violence demands much
lence is an issue that makes many people more attention than it receives. The pro-
hesitant to intervene. The public often posed legislation works to alleviate sore
views such displays as private disputes of the nightmarish consequences OR
between a couple. Law enforcers have a domestic violence. Knowledge brings
difficult job when mingling in family dis- awareness and hope to victims of domestic
putes. Many times, victims of violence in violence. These are effective steps to com-
the home do not seek help through legal bat an often unrecognized problem.