Dear Editor,

I have often heard of stories about campus police being inconsiderate and having a condescending attitude toward the students. Now I know the stories are true. About three weeks ago, I arrived at Cerritos and parked in lot C-10. I was gathering my backpack and getting ready to head to class when I was startled by a stern voice from behind, “Stay in the car!”

I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a squad car perched directly behind me (as if I was going to turn my car on and suddenly drive away). Two campus police officers strolled up to my window, “Do you know why we’re here?” one of them said.

“No,” I replied. He immediately changed his tone and angrily said, “You don’t realize that you didn’t stop back at the stop sign!?”

The stop sign he referred to was the one located on Falcon Way just before you make a right turn to park in lot C-10. At that stop sign, there is a speed bump. On the ticket I later received, they wrote that my speed was 25 mph, then crossed it out and wrote in 15 mph. The reason they crossed out 25 mph is because they were just guessing how fast I was going. That’s right, no radar gun, just a guess. Anyone who attends Cerritos College knows that it is virtually impossible to travel over those speed bumps at 15 mph, much less 25 mph, without causing serious damage to your car’s shock system. In reality, I was traveling at 10 mph and made a brief but complete stop at the stop sing and then made a right turn into lot C-10 where I parked my car.

“But I did stop at the stop sign,” I answered. His tone became even nastier as he growled, “Why are you giving me attitude, boy?”(As if to say, “How dare you try to defend yourself by telling the truth.”)

I’m not giving you attitude, sir. I’m just answering your questions, “I said. The next question the officer asked, “Are you in student government?” “Yes,” I said and showed them my student government parking pass.

He asked, “What is your official title?”

“Huh?” I replied.

“What is your position in student government?” he impatiently replied.

“Oh, I’m a senator.”

“And who do you represent?” he demanded.

“I represent the student body,” I answered.

“You need to set a better example for the student body!” he retorted.

The nerve. First, they accused me of something I didn’t do. Then they accused me of having an attitude while they treated me like dirt. Then they gave me advice on how to be a better person!

The officers then asked for my license and registration and ordered me to stay in my car while they wrote the ticket, like I was going to try to make a break for it.

I sat there and thought about it for a minute and then got out of my car.

I said to the officer, “I’m not going to run away. I just don’t want to sit in my car.”

After all, I’m not a criminal. Why should I let myself be treated like one?

After the officer finished writing the ticket, I checked their names and badge numbers.

I was 30 minutes late to class and the teacher criticized me for being late and disrupting the class with my tardiness.

A few days after this incident, I was reading my mail in the Student Activities building, when Phil Houseman [dean of student activities} approached me.

“Hey, buddy. I heard you were trying to get out of a ticket by telling [campus police] you’re a senator,” said Phil Houseman.

“Really. I didn’t tell anyone yet. How did you find out about it?” I inquired.

“Oh, Marv(Chief of campus police) told me that’s what you were trying to do,” he stated.

“That’s not true. They asked me if I was a senator and I just answered their questions,” I replied.

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time. They’ve been on probation before,” he stated.

Apparently, someone from campus police misconstrued the story to sound like I was using my student government status to intimidate them into letting me off the hook, as if that were possible.

Do we, the students have to put up with all this crap? Should we tolerate the continued employment of officers who have been put on probation? Do we really need police that call us liars and treat us like second-class citizens and then give us advice on how to be better human beings?

I will be addressing these concerns to the Board of Trustees at its next meeting. If anyone reading this had had a similar experience with the campus police, please write it down and put it in my mail box, located in student activities, or come to voice your concerns at the next Board of Trustee’s meeting on May 15 at 7 p.m. in the board room located in the Admissions Building.

Sincerely Concerned,

Brian Vos

Student