420 Maynard St.

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327

www.michigandaily.com

LARA MOEHLMAN

Editor in Chief

734-418-4115 ext. 1251

larakm@michigandaily.com

EMILY RICHNER 

Business Manager

734-418-4115 ext. 1241

errich@michigandaily.com

EDITORIAL STAFF

Bradley Whipple 
 Managing Editor 

bmwhip@michigandaily.com

Lydia Murray 
 Managing News Editor 

news@michigandaily.com 

SENIOR NEWS EDITORS: 
Brian Kuang , Irene Park, Riyah Basha

Jeremy Kaplan Editorial Page Editor 

opinioneditors@michigandaily.com
SENIOR EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR: 

Caitlin Heenan

Ethan Wolfe 

and Orion Sang Managing Sports Editors

sportseditors@michigandaily.com

SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR: 

Chris Crowder

Alex Intner Managing Arts Editor 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

gbuonomo@michigandaily.com

SENIOR ARTS EDITOR: Anay Katyal 

Marina Ross 

and Sinduja Kilaru Managing Photo Editors 

photo@michigandaily.com

Miranda Riggs Managing Design Editor 
 
 
 

design@michigandaily.com

SENIOR DESIGN EDITOR: 

Anjali Alangaden

Taylor Grandinetti Managing Copy Editor

copydesk@michigandaily.com

SENIOR COPY EDITORS:

Biz Dokas

CONTACT INFORMATION 

Newsroom 734-418-4115 opt.3

News Tips news@michigandaily.com

Corrections 
 corrections@michigandaily.com

Photo Department photo@michigandaily.com
Arts Section arts@michigandaily.com

Editorial Page opinion@michigandaily.com
Sports Section sports@michigandaily.com
Magazine statement@michigandaily.com 
 

Advertising Phone: 734-418-4115 
Department dailydisplay@gmail.com
Letters to the Editor tothedaily@michigandaily.com 

or visit michigandaily.com/letters

The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is 
published every Thursday during the 
spring and summer terms by students 
at the University of Michigan. One copy 
is available free of charge to all readers. 
Additional copies may be picked up at the 
Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall 
term, starting in September, via U.S. mail 
are $110. Winter term (January through 
April) is $115, yearlong (September 
through April) is $195. University affiliates 
are subject to a reduced subscription rate. 
On-campus subscriptions for fall term 
are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. 
The Michigan Daily is a member of The 
Associated Press and The Associated 
Collegiate Press. 

2

Thursday, June 16, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NEWS

Sudoku Syndication
http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/

1 of 1
10/1/08 1:14 PM

SUDOKU

EASY

1
7
5

9
2

1

4
7

9

3

4
2

1

1
8

7
4
6

5
3

3

4
8

1

8

2
1

5

5
8

2
6
3

© sudokusolver.com. For personal use only.

Generate and solve Sudoku, Super Sudoku and Godoku puzzles at sudokusyndication.com!

Puzzle by sudokusyndication.com
SWEET LEMONADE

AAPD chief questions 
police oversight board

Race, gender and 
culture influence fear 
of death in elderly 

Baird criticizes 

findings of Human 
Rights Commission 

report

By BRIAN KUANG 

and ISHI MORI

Daily Summer News Editor 

and Daily Staff Reporter

In a split with City Coun-

cil, which voted unanimously in 
March to consider a set of recom-
mendations put forth by its Human 
Rights Commission, Ann Arbor 
Police Chief Jim Baird questioned 
the need for increased civilian 
oversight of the AAPD in a memo 
to members of council last week. 
Baird 
also 
explicitly 
opposed 

the implementation of a civilian 
review board and alternate dis-
pute resolution mechanism until 
a third-party audit of the AAPD is 
completed.

Baird’s memo comes as the 

council is expected to finalize and 
formally vote on implementing 
recommendations from the HRC 
— which is composed of local resi-
dents appointed by the mayor and 
receives assistance from Univer-
sity of Michigan law students — in 
the coming month.

Efforts to reform oversight of 

AAPD increased after the 2014 
fatal shooting of unarmed local 
resident Aura Rosser by an AAPD 
officer. The Washtenaw County 

prosecutor ultimately chose not to 
indict the officer involved in the 
shooting, thoughmany local resi-
dents criticized the transparency 
of the investigation.

A study of best practices in 

police departments across the 
country and a public engagement 
process — in which Baird partici-
pated as interim chief — culminat-
ed in a 42-page report in late 2015 
from the HRC. The report rec-
ommended an independent audit 
of AAPD practices, the creation 
of a civilian oversight board, an 
emphasis on community policing 
and the implementation of crisis 
response teams.

Leslie Stambaugh, chair of the 

HRC, said she was not surprised 
by Baird’s opposition to the imple-
mentation of increased civilian 
oversight. Nonetheless, she said 
she intends to continue to push for 
an oversight board and is confident 
that it will ultimately be imple-
mented.

“I imagine that very few police 

chiefs would welcome review 
boards with civilian powers,” 
Stambaugh said. “He’s hoping the 
consultant will say, ‘Hey, you don’t 
need it, everything is fine.’ ”

In his memo to the council, 

Baird said the Rosser shooting, 
while tragic, was justified and 
does not reflect any broader issues 
within the AAPD. Baird also noted 
the only other incident mentioned 
in the HRC report took place in 
1995, when AAPD undertook a 

University 

study identifies 

demographics that 
influence attitudes

By ALEXA ST.JOHN

Daily Staff Reporter

A recent University of Michi-

gan study shows that racial and 
gender differences can affect 
one’s death anxiety — or fear of 
death — and subsequently affect 
the best ways to reduce these 
feelings.

Death anxiety, an issue partic-

ularly prevalent in elderly people, 
reduces one’s well-being and will 
to live, according to the research. 
This negatively affects elderly 
patients and could potentially 
be a barrier to patient-caretaker 
communication.

According 
to 
the 
Geriat-

ric Mental Health Foundation, 

depression affects about 15 per-
cent of adults over the age of 65 
in the United States. This often 
results from one’s loss of senses or 
mobility, retirement or the death 
of a loved one. When untreated, 
depression — one of many mental 
health illnesses that can affect 
the elderly — can worsen other 
medical issues or lead to prema-
ture death due to a prolonged 
inability to physically or mentally 
function normally.

The University study was con-

ducted by Shervin Assari, the lead 
author and a psychiatric research 
investigator, who used data from 
a religion, aging and health sur-
vey from 2004. The survey repre-
sents a nationally representative 
assessment of 1,074 white and 
Black people over the age of 65 
who either identify as Christian 
or never associated with a reli-
gion or faith.

Previous studies have shown 

that people’s attitude toward 

JEREMY MITNICK/Daily

UMPD and AAPD investigate a suspicious device left on the corner of East William 
Street and South State Street.

RESEARCH

See RACE AND GENDER, Page 3

See AAPD, Page 8

