Noah Learned (right), sophomore fine arts major, uses a loud
speaker to shout out against police brutality. Learned
was part of amarch against police brutality that passed the
Kent Safety Administration Building.
Professors, too, are aware of the tension between police and students.
For David Kessler, associate professor of justice studies, hearing complaints from students about police has always seemed to be part of teaching justice studies. But after a while, Kessler says he began to wonder if there was more to be concerned about than he originally thought.
“The police have no respect for civil liberties or the constitutional procedures,” he says. “They’re doing what they can get away with because they can, not because it’s professional, the way police work should be done.”
Kessler admits that tension between students and police is not unique to Kent. He’s witnessed such problems in Houston and Kansas City as well. But Kessler does see a difference between Kent’s situation and the ones in those other cities.
“Both places I worked, I had confidence that the leadership in those departments would do the right things when an investigation was completed and the facts were in and they had a basis to make a judgment,” he says. “They would make a judgment that was legal, moral and right. I lost that confidence in police leadership in Kent, I’m sorry to say.”
Understanding One Another
Students will be students, Gumerman says. It’s something the police and community members need to understand. Students will throw loud parties—it’s just part of living in a college town. But students need to be respectful and keep in mind that not everyone in Kent is a student.
“The police have no respect for civil liberties or the constitutional procedures”
If students respect others and behave in a manner that suggests good citizenship, they can make a good impression on community members so they don’t associate college students with rowdiness, she says.
Lt. Michelle Lee sees a need for students and police to understand one another. If both sides find a way to “walk a mile in the other’s shoes,” she says, students and police might be able to avoid hostility.
“There are some police officers that don’t remember or don’t understand what it’s like to be a college student,” she explains, “and there’s obviously a lot of college students that don’t know what it’s like to be a police officer. I think if each could understand the other’s position a little bit better, they’d be more tolerant.”
Some agree that making an effort to better understand one another would aid the relationship. A majority of Kent police officers attended Kent State, Peach says, and this creates a common bond between police and students.
In an attempt to create a better understanding between the two groups, Lee stresses that police officers are not out to dampen college students’ parties.
“As a police department, we don’t want to hinder college kids having a good time,” she says. “It’s just not our stance. If they want to do it lawfully and legally, then that’s great with us. It’s when things get out of control, it’s when we get complaints from other people, that’s when we have to step in.”
Lt. Michelle Lee of Kent City Police takes a moment out of her day to
pose outside of the police department. Lee has been with the Kent City
Police for 17 years.
How to Ease the Tension
The question of how to improve the relationship between
students and policeis asked nationwide, Peach says. It comes down to students following the law.
“If students respond as expected, as they would in their own hometowns, they won’t even know the police are here,” he says.
A majority of students comply with the law, he says, and they never encounter the police. But some students have different ideas on how to improve the relationship.
Copwatch, a group put together by students, usually operates on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. A group of four people go out in a car with a police scanner and a map, says Gumerman, a member of Copwatch. They’ll hear about incidents on the scanner, head to the scene and videotape what’s going on. It’s a measure to ensure that citizens’ rights are being honored.
“So it’s kind of policing the police,” Gumerman says.
Peach doesn’t think a program like Copwatch is necessary, but he says he doesn’t mind it.
“We don’t have a concern about people wanting to watch or report or film us,” Peach says. “As long as they don’t interfere with what we’re doing and our duties, we have no problem with it.”
Kujat suggests that police change their attitudes. Police need to realize that students will go to parties, drink and walk home from the bars drunk. Rather than arresting students for this, he suggests that police help the students by following them home to ensure they get there safely.
“I lost that confidence in police leadership in Kent, I'm sorry to say”
“Maybe if police officers would actually go a little more out of their way, rather than just using handcuffs and pepper spray and actually maybe using some words of encouragement,” Kujat says. “Or maybe an open hand instead of a hand with handcuffs and shaking some of the students hands. That would probably help out.”
Police should use nonviolent approaches to calm students down instead of violent approaches, Kujat says.
“It’s easier to spray a student in the face with mace than it is to talk to him and find out where he’s going and why he’s doing what he’s doing,” he says.
It’s up to the police to improve the relationship between students and police, Kujat says.
“The problem is, the ball’s in their court,” he says. “The students have no power with the police department.”
Katie Hilbert is a junior magazine journalism major. This is her third time writing for The Burr.
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