Cortney Woycik was one of the 43 people arrested during the April 2-3 disturbances, during which several thousand people flooded the East Lansing streets. Facing charges of obstructing an officer and disorderly conduct, she made a plea bargain to obtain a lesser penalty.

Considering the history of student disturbances in East Lansing, Woycik's story is typical - except for a few important details which set it apart.

First of all, her blood alcohol content was 0.0 at the time of her arrest. This throws a monkey wrench into the assumption by police that students who cause trouble are sodden miscreants bent on causing a ruckus. Woycik seems like a good kid - she even admitted she was never in detention in school.

Second, her account of the arrest and that of the police doesn't match. They say she grabbed an officer's arm; she, on the other hand, denies this.

This, itself, is not so unusual. What is striking, however, is the police's total disinterest in investigating this matter. When questioned about it by The State News, East Lansing police Lt. Kevin Daley responded that it's highly unlikely Woycik didn't grab an officer's arm, because police reports are official documents.

Here's a tip, ELPD: Just because something is said in a report doesn't make it true. (For example, you can put crap in a box and label it cupcakes, but that doesn't mean it'll taste good.) We're not saying the police are wrong, but they certainly need to be more receptive to criticism. A simple, "We'll look into it" would do fine. That's how credibility is built and mutual trust is established between police, students and residents.

Yet the police continue to work within a shroud of self-righteousness, not accepting the fact that poor decisions were probably made by some students and officers during the April 2-3 disturbances, which in no way reflects the collective attitudes of their respective groups. It behooves the community to investigate both angles.

It is a cause for concern when a police official shrugs off the possibility that another officer acted improperly. It's only natural to stick up for a comrade, as Daley did, but this is no excuse for apathy toward a simple investigation. The police simply don't care.

In addition, thanks to plea-bargaining, cases such as Woycik's are not being contested because it's too big of a risk to lose. The punishments for riot-related crimes involve being barred from public universities for one year, so the plea-bargain can be lucrative. Thus, the police can obtain convictions at will.

We wouldn't have so much of a problem with this if the police could be trusted a little bit more. The sight of an officer should make students think of the values of justice and safety rather than the thought of tear gas and pepper spray.

The only way to rebuild broken trust is if the East Lansing police show that they can police themselves before they police the community. This means investigating their own actions, whether they are right or wrong.