Investigations by police officials into the conduct of certain officers during the April 2-3 disturbances cleared three police officers of any brutality or wrongdoing. In light of what reporters and photographers from The State News saw that night - as well as dozens of reports from others involved - this raises some questions about the validity of these investigations. Furthermore, it raises the question: If what the police did that night doesn't constitute brutality, where do police draw the line, if there is indeed a line at all, short of death?
To begin with, the incidents that resulted in complaints didn't stem from officers acting in small groups or pairs as they usually do; they came from a situation in which the entire force was acting as a coordinated whole. Therefore, the actions of individual officers reflect the attitude of the full department. This is especially true in this instance, since officers received training and briefing before going on duty.
With the department acting as a whole, it doesn't make sense for it to judge the actions of its own officers. Nevertheless, the investigations of the two MSU officers and the one Michigan State Police officer during the April 2-3 disturbances were handled by their superiors. Due to the superior officers' natural desire to maintain a good appearance for the department, as well as to clear themselves of any wrongdoing that occurred under their command, they have a conflict of interest here.
East Lansing Police Chief Tom Wibert personally looked into the incidents involving his officers, but his bias makes him a poor candidate for the task. It's natural to assume he isn't going to denounce his own department, which is why someone else should bear the responsibility of judging cases of misconduct. The same goes for the Michigan State Police and their similar investigation.
If the students and reporters present during the disturbances are any judge, then the police actions definitely constitute misconduct. Reporters from The State News were shot at with teargas without cause, and similar accounts were retold in letters appearing on The State News' opinion page, as well as at a forum held by ASMSU. Video footage, circulated widely on the Internet, shows police officers using pepper spray against groups of people sitting on the ground, who were not causing any trouble. Their experiences and opinions appear to have played little to no part in the way the police judged the accused officers' actions.
In the misconduct investigations it comes down to students' word against police officers'. Either side will tend to conclude that the others' action were inappropriate because there is a mutual distrust between the two groups. This calls for independent investigations rather than self-serving ones carried out by the police.
Furthermore, the East Lansing police department has set a bad precedent by letting officers off the hook who were over-exuberant with their tear gas and pepper spray. If the actions under review were appropriate, then what isn't? There needs to be a clear line drawn on which everyone agrees.
As the situation stands, there is still antagonism and distrust between students and police. Merely glossing over the April 2-3 disturbances by condoning officers' actions will not help this.
