Student leaders are urging caution in protecting personal rights as police aggressively pursue punishment for those involved in the March 28-30 disturbances.
"While I condemn the students who participated in this riot, I don't want to create a situation where students are constantly looking over their shoulders." said Kevin Glandon, director of community affairs for ASMSU. "It's not illegal to take a picture."
ASMSU is MSU's undergraduate student government.
Police are using the Internet to find images and journals that could help in the investigation.
Last week, police seized at least one computer in hopes of obtaining images that could lead to more riot-related arrests. In two other cases, people turned over information from computers. Separate warrants were issued in each case.
"I wonder the constitutionality of that," Glandon said. "It's at the line. Everybody needs to proceed with caution."
With the rules on Internet policing still murky, police are pushing the law, said Douglas Burda, an interdisciplinary studies in social studies senior.
"That's personal property," he said. "If police would have taken the footage then it would be valid. If they're taking them from students then it's out of control."
As students express frustrations with police tactics, East Lansing City Councilmember Beverly Baten said she hopes people will offer evidence to the police voluntarily. Baten said she hasn't discussed the details of the investigation with police officials.
"It's something that could be debated," she said. "I'm just counting on our police and the MSU police to do what they do best."
Police posted about 20 pictures online and created a tipline, which led to the arrests of five students this weekend for their alleged involvement in the disturbances. Police also have a warrant for one additional man.
"It's very important that within the law we pursue this matter as much as we can," MSU President M. Peter McPherson said.
The six MSU students are charged with 13 felonies and five misdemeanors for their alleged involvement in flipping cars and vending machines, igniting fires and inciting riots.
Seven officers from MSU, East Lansing and the Michigan State Police are working up to 12-hour days to track down lawbreakers. Police have received about 70 solid tips off the hotline and are offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads to each arrest.
The use of seized information from the Internet and from computers is allowed under the Patriot Act, said Henry Silverman, president of the Lansing chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
"Police will try to get away with whatever they can," Silverman said, adding officials are stretching civil rights by seizing personal property.
Authorities often use computer seizures to obtain evidence with the war on terrorism and for Mafia crimes, he said. "It isn't a terribly unusual thing to do," he added.
Silverman said warrants must clearly define what police are looking for, otherwise searching through the other information could be invasion of privacy.
"Computers are very personal things," food industry management junior Russell Enfield said. "There's a lot of information on there."
But Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III said if police find any other evidence of crimes on the computer hard drive, they can be held against that person.
"It's the same thing as being pulled over for speeding and finding a gun on the front seat," Dunnings said.
