Pubdate: Mon, 21 Apr 2003 Source: Daily Collegian (PA Edu) Copyright: 2003 Collegian Inc. Contact: http://www.collegian.psu.edu/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/543 Author: Eric Killian POLICE SHOULD FOCUS ON SERIOUS VIOLATIONS Which two of the following do not belong: A rapist, a thief, a traffic violator, a marijuana smoker and a college student who has been drinking? Answer: the rapist and the thief. What do all the others have in common? The rest all are the focus of police. It seems with the recent rape in downtown State College and the increasing amount of thefts, police would have found the time to investigate further into these crimes. Numerous rape cases are reported each semester without further investigation, even with substantial leads. Walking students are harassed via checkpoints on the corner of Bigler and Pollock. When will the police start serving their community and stop oppressing students? The fact of the matter is that the police must stop expending their services into areas of harassing college students for drinking, harmlessly smoking an occasional joint or violating feeble traffic laws whose "costs" are more than $100 in addition to the actual fine. Police must most importantly maintain a safe community for all and stop impeding on our freedom of privacy without probable cause. Eric Killian, freshman-division of undergraduate studies - --- MAP posted-by: Alex