Spring Break
Campus police explain use of force
Elise Phillips, Assistant Pulse Editor
Issue date: 2/26/09 Section: News
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ECU Police Chief Scott Shelton addressed the audience at the beginning of the presentation, saying that the department wants to be open and transparent to ECU students.
"This is the first formal session that we've had," he said. "We've tried to reach out to students in other ways, [but] we chose to talk about use of force and tasers because we thought it would generate interest for students on campus. What I'd like to see and what we're going to start doing is an open session once a month. This is really for your benefit."
Shelton also said that he would like to see students give suggestions to the police department.
Several students attended the event and took the opportunity to ask officers to clear up myths about taser use and the effects of the devices - including the fact that intoxicated persons do not catch fire when tased, persons tased under water will not be electrocuted and persons high on drugs or other substances are still susceptible to the effects of the taser.
One of the students that attended the event was Jarmichael Harris, who had a run-in with the ECU Police Department last semester that spurred an outcry of resentment by his fellow students and Harris was ultimately cleared of all charges.
Harris says he skipped class to attend the presentation and says that he has no hard feelings toward the police; in fact, he says he trusts officers and thinks that students should take presentations like yesterday's more seriously.
"[I came out today] to support the ECU Police Department and let them know that they have the students' support," Harris said. "I mean they have to do their job, [what happened to me] could have happened to any one of us. I think that there is kind of a disconnect [between the police and students]. I mean if you only see negative images of the police then the perception that you're going to get of them is going to be negative, so I think programs like this really helps."
Other students shared Harris' sentiment, including junior Michael Smith and SGA representative Tyler Richardson.
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Josh
posted 2/27/09 @ 2:15 PM EST
Why was the campus police selling the meeting with the headline of "FOOD AND TAZERS?" I would have gone if I had more than a days notice, and it wasn't during class at 1pm. (Continued…)
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