COLLEGIATETIMES
wednesday september 17, 2008 blacksburg, va.
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today’s events
Tech police, gone to the dogs
>> VETERAN
DETECTIVE TO SPEAK AGAINST DRUG LEGALIZATION Retired police detective Howard Wooldridge will speak on the downfalls of prohibition tonight from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event, which will take place in Colonial Hall in Squires Student Center, is intended to highlight the reasons why some police officers agree that complete drug legalization would benefit the U.S. Wooldridge will first provide a speech, and then later take questions from the audience.
>> TUNNEL TO
DISPLAY DIVERSITY The Tunnel, a special event beginning today in the Graduate Life Center multi-purpose room, will provide a presentation of interactive displays regarding diversity at Virginia Tech. The event, which will take place from 3 to 9 p.m. daily through Sept. 18, is free and open to any student, faculty or staff member at Tech. The Tunnel is a part of the Hokie F6 program, which provides activities for on-campus residents during the first six weeks of school.
sports TUESDAY’S FOOTBALL PRESS CONFERENCE SUMMARY At the weekly press conference, head coach Frank Beamer announced that freshman Ryan Williams will redshirt this season. Beamer also said receiver Ike Whitaker’s WILLIAMS absence from Saturday’s game was because of missed team meetings and other responsibilities, coupled with the improvement of freshman Jarrett Boykin.
weather PARTLY SUNNY high 73, low 51
corrections If you see something in today’s paper that needs to be corrected, please e-mail our public editor at publiceditor@collegiatetimes.com, or call 540.231.9865.
coming up TOMORROW’S CT Look for coverage of “The Sweatshop Effect,” a protest of VT apparel allegedly produced in sweatshops.
index News.....................2 Features................3 0pinions................5
Classifieds..............7 Sports....................6 Sudoku..................7
An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903 105th year issue 82
SHANNON AUD
ct news staff writer At first glance, Boomer may seem like a typical two-year-old yellow Labrador. He gets jumpy with excitement when he meets new people and loves to bark when he wants to be petted. However, this Labrador is not your typical pet dog — Boomer is the Virginia Tech Police force’s newest asset. Boomer and Boris, a two-and-ahalf-year-old German shepherd, have both been extensively trained to aid the police in several different ways. Boris will replace Hokie, a German shepherd that is retiring this year at age 11. Hokie specializes in narcotics and apprehension; his main job duties include locating criminals, tracking missing persons, doing building searches and protecting his handler. But Boomer, who specializes in explosive detection, adds new expertise
to the K-9 unit. “In the past, we have had to rely on other agencies to a large extent when we had bomb threats or events when dignitaries visited and we needed to clear a room to make sure everything was safe,” said Tom Foster, assistant chief of police. “Having one of our own enables us to respond much more quickly. And bomb threats, unfortunately, are not an uncommon occurrence. It’s the time in which we live.” Both dogs go through a multiple-month basic training program, though their coaching continues throughout their entire career. Boomer is trained at least four hours a week by his handler, Officer Larry Wooddell, in addition to monthly three-day trainings with other bomb-sniffing dogs. Boris and his handler, Officer Keith Weaver, go through at least 16 hours of training a month. The expansion of the K-9 team, which began in 2001 with Hokie, to include a bomb-sniffing dog is an exciting step for the Tech police department. “To have a bomb dog is not a common thing on a college campus,” Wooddell said. “A lot of universities follow our lead because we are a nationally accredited police force. We’re held to a higher standard.” Boomer was chosen from a pool of dogs because the department felt he best met their needs. Labradors are generally less intimidating to the public. The job of a bomb-sniffing dog is less stressful than the duties of patrol dogs
like Boris. Boris is not as approachable, simply because his mindset is to always protect his handler, while Boomer is more receptive to strangers. “You can use about any kind of dog, as long as they have that drive,” Wooddell said. “The Lab is less aggressive looking and more people-friendly. People think he’s mean when he barks, but he just wants you to pet him. You can pet and play with him, and he still is going to do his job. He’s always looking to play. It’s all just a game to him.” Boris and Boomer are just beginning their careers as police dogs. So far Boomer has been on one call to help the Blacksburg police. He is also part of a team of dogs that ensures Lane Stadium is safe before anyone enters on game day. Another part of the dogs’ job is to participate in demonstrations for the student body, often held in the residence halls. “The dogs are a super tool to help us connect with the students,” Weaver said. “In the last two years, we did over 40 demos with Hokie for the students. We’re here for the students, not against them. Our students help us out with the dogs a lot by bringing us supplies for them. It’s just been a great tool to bring the relationship between the department and the student body back.” To see Boomer and Boris in action, students can attend these demos. The next will be held Saturday, Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m at the Duckpond. There will be other patrol and bomb dogs as well as agility courses and races.
In sorting campus crime data, Web plays a key role MIKE LAHAYE
ct news staff writer The Virginia Tech Police Department has begun to utilize new technology to help fight crime across campus. The VTPD is working with Tech Information Technologies to use electronic crime mapping, a technique for tracking crime that involves physically plotting incidents on a map. While VTPD has kept a daily crime log for several years, crime mapping gives analysts advantages in addressing recurring problem areas. Crime mapping allows law enforcement agents to better analyze trends of where different types of crimes take place. The Clery Act requires universities to make information about crime available to students and their families. The law, passed in 1989, resulted from an incident at Lehigh University in 1986 during which Jeanne Clery, a freshman, was raped and murdered. Several similar crimes had occurred in the recent past, but the university had failed to disclose information regarding the events to the community. “We’re working with Geographic Information Systems on campus that
will use precise technologies to tell us where crimes occurred with great detail,” said Geoff Allen, a crime prevention specialist with the VTPD. Though crime mapping has been used for a long time, technology has made the process much more efficient and effective. “Crime mapping used to be a map on a bulletin board that we would put pins into so that we could see trends,” Allen said. “That was crime mapping in the most primitive form.” As VTPD has been developing this technology, a new Web site with similar purpose has launched. Ucrime.com is an Internet database that allows the public to view its crime maps for free. Ucrime was launched in August 2008 with about 100 colleges and universities listed. Since its origin, Ucrime has begun to display information on over 200 campuses nationwide, including five within the commonwealth of Virginia. “Ucrime started as an offshoot of our sister company, Spotcrime. Spotcrime is one of, if not the largest accessible crime databases in the country,” said Ucrime founder Colin Drane. Drane said that he was inspired to start Ucrime by the Clery Act and cited
the cost benefits of a centralized database drawing information from several universities. “Most systems cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and we are giving our product away for free,” Drane said. “We have started to reach out to universities. More and more universities are interested in working with us to stop crime on campuses.” Despite the cost benefits of a site like Ucrime, Allen, who was unfamiliar with Ucrime, believes that VTPD can more effectively implement crimemapping techniques independently. “With Ucrime.com’s technology, you may get a good picture of the Drillfield,” Allen said. “We work with Google map technology and can get clear pictures of every building on campus. This gives us a much better idea of where the hot spots on campus are.” No matter how sophisticated crimefighting techniques on campus are, students can take several basic precautions to guard against most crime on and around campus. “Most of our crime is theft — I see it again and again,” said university spokesman Larry Hincker. “If students take basic precautions like locking their doors, they will most likely be safe.”
BRIAN CLAY/SPPS
Virginia Tech Police Officer Larry Wooddell leads his police dog Boomer into his patrol car. Boomer, a labrador, is the force’s newest canine.
news in brief MARCUS VICK SUIT SETTLED OUT OF COURT After two years of intermittent negotiation, lawyers involved in a $6.35 million lawsuit against former Tech VICK Virginia quarterback Marcus Vick have reached a settlement out of court. The Christiansburg teenager, identified only as Jane Doe, was a 15-year-old student at Christiansburg High School in 2006 when the charges were first filed. The teen claimed that she suffered psychological trauma from a near two-year sexual relationship with Vick, beginning in January 2004 and continuing until December 2005. Though the details of the agreement have not yet been released and are confidential, Steve Smith, one of the teen’s attorneys, told the Virginian-Pilot that there will no longer be a trial, as there is an agreement in place that will, in principle, end the suit.
Smith, a Christiansburg attorney, did not return calls to the Collegiate Times. Before the settlement was reached, a trial over one count of sexual battery upon a minor and one count of willful and wanton conduct was scheduled to begin next week in Montgomery County Circuit Court. The lawsuit has also identified Doe as the minor involved in a January 2004 incident that led to Vick’s conviction of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Vick and two teammates, Mike Imoh and Brenden Hill, were convicted of giving alcohol to three 14- to 15-year-old girls. All three were suspended for the first three games of the 2004 season, and Vick was fined and sentenced to 30 days in jail. Vick was later removed from the team permanently after future incidents. Vick also faces charges in Norfolk where he was arrested for driving under the influence while eluding police and reckless driving in June. Vick’s attorney, Lawrence Woodward, did not return calls to the Collegiate Times. Woodward also represents Marcus Vick’s brother, Michael Vick. Michael Vick is now serving a two-year federal prison sentence for dog fighting charges.
In Chesterfi eld, Charges dropped ahead of will voting sentencing in Hokie Bird theft issues linger? KRISTEN KUBE
ct news staff writer Charges against a man for the 2006 theft of a Hokie Bird statue were dropped just hours after the hearing at the Montgomery County Circuit Court on Sept. 4. Judge Ray Grubbs convicted Michael Scott Russell, 22, of petit larceny at the recent hearing, but later dropped the charge completely, leaving Russell with a clean record. “It is fairly common for charges to be reduced or dropped in cases like this. The judge recognizes that everyone makes mistakes and if you don’t have a record and you show remorse, they will often reduce the charges,” said attorney and associate professor of urban affairs and planning Jesse Richardson. “It is unusual, however, for the judge to drop the charges after a conviction.” Russell, along with Matthew Alan Hanson, had been Tech students at the time when they were accused of taking the Hokie statue called “Motion Technology for Sea, Land, Air, and Space” from its location at Moog Components Group on North Main Street in Blacksburg. Russell had originally been charged
with grand larceny and destruction of property during a Dec. 3, 2006 hearing. The destruction of property charge was later dropped. Grubbs reduced his other charge to a misdemeanor after hearing that Russell had been on good behavior since the incident. Hanson, who was also charged with grand larceny and destruction of property, will have his case heard in May 2009. “There was probably some sort of agreement reached between all affected parties, and the judge dropped the charges with the stipulation that (Russell) remained on good behavior,” said Sgt. Nathan O’Dell of the Blacksburg Police Department, referring to the Sept. 4 hearing. He also added that “this sort of thing is not that unusual.” The Hokie Bird was one of 75 handpainted statues created through the “Gobble de Art” project placed around the town of Blacksburg in February 2006. Diane Akers, president of the Blacksburg Partnership, which sponsored the project, said that the company’s goal with the project “was to reinvest in the community” as the money raised in the sale of the birds went toward “economic development and downtown revitalization.” Each bird is valued at roughly $7,500.
ZACH CRIZER
ct news staff writer Chesterfield County is preparing for Election Day after a primary election saw a ballot shortage and controversial voter complaint. Several precincts in a major Richmond suburb ran out of Democratic ballots in February’s Virginia primary. Chesterfield ordered 299 voters to write their candidate’s name on scrap paper, but the State Board of Elections rejected the makeshift ballots. One of those 299 voters was Chesterfield resident and teacher Keshia Anderson. She filed a complaint with the Department of Justice and recently testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. While her vote did not count in the primary, Anderson said she hopes Chesterfield officials are now paying attention, specifically Chesterfield County Registrar Lawrence Haake III. Anderson said Haake did not uphold his duty to get the ballots counted. “I think they’re paying attention now,” said Anderson. “When I made a complaint I was frustrated. (Haake) should be held accountable for every ballot.” Haake regretted the issues that arose during primary season, but has focused on the future. When asked about the complaint, he had a mixed response. “One word: frivolous,” said Haake. “We’ve said repeatedly JOHN KAYROUZ/COLLEGIATE TIMES
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