WEDNESDAY | 9.16.2015 | MACEANDCROWN.COM | Vol. 58, Issue 3
MEN’S SOCCER BEATS JACKSONVILLE C1 Zack Chavis| Jesse Miralrio attempts to score a goal against Jacksonville University.
Police Forum Offers Little Reassurance
Heather Richner Contributing Writer
Students who attended the “Us and Them” forum on Sept. 10 were given the chance to ask questions of and express concerns to members of the Norfolk and Old Dominion University police departments. But afterwards, some expressed disappointment with the answers they got. ODU’s student run chapter of the NAACP paired up with the Tau Lambda chapter of Omega Psi Phi
and the ODU and Norfolk police departments for the open forum. The event was intended to bring individuals together for open conversations regarding how to deal with concerns that have been expressed by the student body. Jonathon Johnson, senior and member of both organizations, led the forum and prompted questions that encouraged students to answer and elaborate. His aim was to break down hostile barriers that exist between students and police, by cover-
ing a number of questions regarding the appropriate way to respond to police officers in specific situations. Students inquired about the training ODU police have to go through, and expressed their concern for improvements. ODU police officers Lieutenant Boone, Master Officer Banks, and Lieutenant Camacho offered ways to deal with police encounters. One of the questions raised by students was “when is it okay to use deadly force?” to which a young woman
and member of the NAACP replied. “Almost never, definitely not as much as the media portrays it. Maybe when a weapon is already involved from the suspect, but it should be a last resort,” the student said. “Police get through a wealth of training with deadly force. People fear differently, police departments should be reinforced with their training, but there will be times that police have to use deadly force. They have to go home to their families too, but it should still be a last resort,” Boone
said. Many other concerns were situational, such as what to do when you are prompted to have your person, or car searched. Or how to react when you’re told by an officer to leave public or private property, all of which generated a broad reply. “It depends, different cities have different loitering laws. If we have probable cause to search you or your car, or tell you to leave a property, then it’s in your best interest to do so,” Boone said. (Continued on A4)
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