Cops’ doorstep visits with students under fire

Local police are showing up at doors taking names of (non-campus/private renters) residents just in case students end up being 'rowdy' at a future date.

A definite infringement on civil rights. Sure it is voluntary but it scares the kids (well, university students still are, even though they are legally adults, if you ask me) into giving that information. They should just slam the door. This is downright unjustified, despite the recent past riot (at a College across the town) that caused quite a bit of damage.

www.lfpress.com...

What say you?

We have no obligation to assist police. Smiling and closing the door is the right response. I never submit to searches, I always ask if I'm beingdetained or am I free to go.

reply to post by crawley


Yes, I agree. My initial thought to slam the door is only said out of frustration and anger lol. I hope more students stand up to this canvassing and nip this in the butt before the cops get away with it much longer and thereby only training them to 'obey' at some future date. The mayor should also cause a ruckus at city hall/counsel also if he is genuine and sincere about his aggravation by their power-hungry behavior.

dianashay
What say you?

People who cooperate with the blue-line gang are a very large part of the problem. Education is the answer as long as the police conform to the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Note I didn't say one word about "law" because we have no legitimate law coming out of D.C..

I have asked officers a simple question for years and have two pan responses. Are you a detective officer? A no gets, well with hard work you'll make it someday. A yes simply earns a, well detect than...
Stop doing the police's work for them. Nobody talks, everyone walks

reply to post by juspassinthru


Yes, Canada's Constitution Act (of 1982) aka the Charter of Rights (and Freedoms) in it's updated version may be a fairly new document (considering) vs. Britain and the US's but they are valid, valued and cherished words.

reply to post by dianashay


I'm of the opinion that the majority of police, at least in my country the UK, are ordinary people who wish to do something with their lives that will benefit their communities and by virtue of that, benefit their families and make life that much more comfortable and safe for everyone.

Not the most controversial point of view really, and yes, there are bad coppers out there, even some that sought the uniform specifically to massage their psychopathic need for authority over others.

But i will always maintain, that i would rather have the police than not have them, despite the few bad ones that ruin the reputations of the good police.

But, it's crap like this going on in the US that makes me wonder what the hell is going on in America as far as law enforcement goes.

The incremental way the public are having their rights abused and ignored by authority is a very bad state of affairs.

It's more of a drip -drip kind of affair, a nibble at a right here, a swipe at another there and before you know it those rights are rapidly heading down the pan.

The American justice system is becoming more like the pre-crime department every day...want your names in CASE you do something wrong in the future indeed!

Students should be aware of the law and their rights, i wonder if any of them confronted the police on their blatent wrong doing?

reply to post by MysterX


I forgot to mention that this is the University that had the infamous YouTube vid of (campus) police beat-down of the guy in the Social Science building. www.youtube.com...

and more on Project L.E.A.R.N www.gazette.uwo.ca...

NEVER waive your rights for the convenience of a Cop.

I think if the university requires a 'residency address' of all students, then that is something that should happen at the executive-administration level by the university. NOT by the campus police. It sounds to me like the CPD are actually trying to deal with being stuck in the middle of bad situations where they need the kind of info you would normally have on the average resident were you an ordinary cop, but you don't have on college students because they don't all have licenses and when they do they usually don't have their latest offcampus address on it. I don't like this precedent at all, but I think it's fair to ask, before just assuming the cops are being proactively-paranoid control freaks, "why" they felt so motivated that they actually put this into play. There is probably more to it, and it's fair to ask how much campus PD requests are really exceeding what ordinary PD resources would have available to them.

reply to post by RedCairo


This is the city cops doing this questioning (even asking the student's parents names and where they live) not the campus police.

These are off-campus students renting at private residences.

They are doing it because Western University has a reputation as a 'party school' (what campus doesn't??) and because of a party-riot at rental units at a college across town in 2010.

The current university students being questioned were still in highschool when that event happened. Why should they have to be profiled for events they weren't even in town for? That is one of the many questions the chief of police will be answering soon at a meeting between them and the students.

Thanks Dianashay, I didn't realize it was offcampus police.

We can't profile people at airports because they fit the ONLY so far description of airplane terrorists for five decades, but we can profile people because they go to college? Hmmn.

Does seem rather invasive I agree. I thought it was an admin thing of the college itself.