Last Wednesday, the University of Florida reinstated two campus police officers charged with using a Taser gun on a student during a question-and-answer session for Sen. John Kerry.
But despite the media attention undergraduate student Andrew Meyer is receiving and the existing nationwide video evidence, there is still no solution or balance in the relationship between campus police authority and aggressive student behavior.
The incident, which occurred last month, ended in a violent scuffle when Meyer refused to stop questioning Kerry. Campus police were forced to escort Meyer out of the building, but before exiting, pinned him to the ground, handcuffed him and shot him with a Taser gun.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement reinstated the two University of Florida police officers and dubbed their actions as “well within state guidelines.” This mirrors the same convoluted conclusion UCPD reached over a similar incident involving a Taser gun in Powell Library last year.
And yet, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s report, along with that of the UCPD, does nothing to solve the problem of campus safety and university police jurisdiction.
Meyer’s specific situation has gained him national recognition, as videos of his infamous slogan, “Don’t Tase me, bro!” floods the Internet and pops up on television shows such as VH1’s “Best Week Ever.”
In the video of the Florida incident, Meyer is clearly on the floor, restrained by multiple officers and being handcuffed as he is shot with a Taser gun.
Indeed, in the time preceding the use of weaponry, Meyer was aggressive and confrontational, demanding that he be allowed to continue questioning Kerry, even after his microphone was unplugged.
But in the few seconds leading up to the use of Taser gun, it is very evident that Meyer is sufficiently pinned down and contained. With five trained and armed police officers surrounding him and handcuffs around his wrists, was Meyer really such a threat to the public environment at that point?
Also, were the University of Florida police using their best judgment by choosing to shoot Meyer with a Taser gun at a public forum?
An executive summary of the state of Florida’s investigative report said, “Officers decide not to escalate to hard empty hand strikes, kicks, knees or baton. … (It) would have looked like the officers were beating Meyer into submission.”
Somehow, the use of police weaponry on campus manages to slip through the cracks of what is defined as acceptable violent behavior.
While hitting and kicking are seen as obvious acts of violence, especially if such events are recorded on video or caught in photos, utilizing a Taser gun is still an indeterminate area of police restraint that is popping up to create media frenzy.
The lack of definition and clarification leads to a blurred line in terms of campus police authority. Who is to blame in incidents like those that occurred at the University of Florida or UCLA?
The confusion is very evident even in UCLA’s own Powell Library confrontation involving student Mostafa Tabatabainejad last November.
The official and original UCPD report found that the officer responsible for using a Taser gun on Tabatabainejad was in no violation of the force policy.
But an independent UCLA report ““ commissioned by former Acting Chancellor Norman Abrams ““ found that the officer violated guidelines and committed acts of unnecessary force, especially since the report concluded that Tabatabainejad “was not actively or violently aggressive.”
This deficiency in reaching a solid conclusion for policing guidelines is further deepening the divide between campus law enforcement policies and student rights for safety and protection.
Exactly how are UCLA students to react to two very conflicting and indefinite reports regarding last November’s confrontation?
And how can we compare this situation to last month’s University of Florida violence?
In order to establish a balanced and effective understanding between the two spheres ““ university police and students ““ there must be a clear-cut outline for expected student behavior and police reactions.
Otherwise, future occurrences regarding student actions could ultimately lead to bigger controversies and unsettling consequences for both campus law enforcement officials and student rights under university authority.
E-mail Chung at lchung@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.