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Show WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Police Raid Dorms to Find Opium Dealer's Stash UN3LV AARON CLEMENS The Rebel Yell University of Nevada at Las Vegas student Craig Alien Alder was arrested March 9 at his dorm, Boyd R.oom 237, for felony opium trafficking after a raid by 22 police officers in full riot gear. This incident sparked further allegations of campus police misconduct and yet another police chief suspenlate-nig- ht sion. Robert Ackerman, vice president of student services, placed Sgt. Paul Harris and Interim Police Chief Sgt. Don Drake on administrative leave Friday spending an investigation by the Neyada Department of Investigation. This is the second UNLV police chief placed on administrative leave in a period. Former chief five-mon- th David Hoiienbeck was placed on leave in November following a campus protest concerning problems in the department. Hoiienbeck was later reassigned as director of facilities policy development and manage- ment The morning after the raid, R. Mark Miles, Tonopah building coordinator, filed a complaint with Ackerman Miles alleges Har ris, the ranking officer in the drug bust, shouted, shoved him into a wall and then tightly handcuffed him after he requested to call his supervisor. "Perhaps it wasn't appropriate that he Miles, an unarmed, unprotected and untrained civilian be put into that said. "Our context," Ackerman instruction to the residence hall staff is that when a search warrant is to be served you just give the officer the key and let the officer serve the search warrant." Miles, the resident coordinator on duty, claims Officer Jeff Green met him after a page for an emergency. Green told him to speak to no one and to stay in Green's presence. Miles then tracked down two student resident assistants to get keys to the three suites named in the search warrant. According to the complaint and eyewitnesses, the two students and Miles ran down to let 10 officers enter Boyd Hall and ran back up to the second floor with the police. Miles described how with a shaky hand he tried to open the door while several officers in SWAT gear combat boots, bulletproof vest, fatigue pants shouted at him. When he could not open it fast enough, the police kicked in the doer and entered with guns drawn. They repeated this procedure again with a second door Miles could not open fast enough. Eyewitnesses verify Miles' account. Neyada American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Executive Director Gary Peck noted the type of operation described by Miles would violate not only standard police policy and procedures but also common sense. Such an operation would place innocent people in harm's W3y and create the possibility for costly legal liability for the university and the police department, according to Peck. "I have some concerns that I wasn't brought into the discussion when I could have perhaps helped to think some of this through," Ackerman said. "We've taken some steps to correct this now and it won't happen again" Although Miles was in London e comover Spring Break, his sexual includes also possible plaint harassment. "Another reserve officer...sat down on the couch beside me directly in front of one of the girls who had handcuffs on," Miles wrote. "It was obvious why he sat there because this girl had on a nighttime tank top and boxers which were somewhat reveal two-bedroo- m two-pag- ing since she was handcuffed and placed on the floor." Miles further reported that after Harris told this officer he could go home, The officer laughingly replied that he couldn't because the girl had his cuffs on but they looked better on her than him. He looked at me and laughed." Drake, who sounded surprised at the dismissal Friday afternoon, could not comment much on the case because of an attorney's advisement, "We were only interested in getting large quantities of drugs and sellers," Drake said. "We weren't, there to cause a disruption, we would not try to embarrass the institution." According to a statement released by the State Peace Officers Council Miles described how he tried to open the door while several officers In SWAT gear shouted at him. When he couid not open it fast enough, tha police kicked in the door. (SPOC), the union representing Karris and Drake, the police raid came only after residence hall staff failed to act on rampant drug use. "After no apparent action was taken by dorm staff," the release says, "students and parents contacted UNLV police." UNLV Officer Ron Cuzze, president and spokesman for SPOC, was involved in the raid. Miles alleges that during the raid, Cuzze repeatedly yelled at a student in an attempt to intimidate her into admitting drug use. Cuzze was named in a 1999 complaint by Leroy Hudson, a black UNLV student, who claims his arrest by Cuzze for jaywalking involved Cuzze calling him "a nigger" and telling him "to shut the f up." Cuzze, who is white, claims that Hudson was the profane one. Hudson, with no prior record, has charges pending of resisting arrest and battering a police officer. In response to the request for the NDI to perform an internal investigation, the SFOC statement alleges the university administration is "trying to cover up their own improprieties in impeding police investigations." The administration believes the residence h?il personnel has been proactive regarding drug abuse snd disagrees with the SPOC on the reasons for an interna! investigation. "We made an agreement earlier this academic year that we would .turn over our more serious internal investigations to the NDI," Ackerman said. "Since Drake was involved in the planning of this and Sgt. Harris was the next senior person involved and the supervisor on scene, I thought it best to put them on administrative leave in the event errors were made." Peck supports the UNLV's administration in their decision to suspend the officers in charge of the raid. "The union SPOC did itself and its members no favors by releasing a statement to the press that points fingers at the administration rather than acknowledging the possibility that officers made- mistakes," Peck said. "Obviously no one is condoning ille - gal drag use on campus. or not the adminis- "But whether tration has made mistakes in its . 'Gays, Lesbians Need Good Health Care' MATTHEW STEPHENS Chronicle News Writer han- dling of possible drug infractions, the type of behavior described in Miles' report would be beyond the pale of what is acceptable for police who profess to be professionals," Peck added. "If his allegations are true then there is simply no excuse for such outrageous and irresponsible actions. Not only would they be excessive, they would place innocent people in serious danger." When asked why the police broke down doers with gurs drawn, Ackerman said someone in the Metro drug unit, which provided two canine officers for the raid, told him that someone with that much opium was probably not a casual user but one who had a significant investment. The police decided to take precautions against the possibility of running into an armed perpetrator. No weapons were found by police. '"I was glad they came but a little scared they the police had weapons drawn," said one student. Several students questioned about the bust, including two from the floor raided by police, expressed relief that something was finally being done about the dorms' drug problems. "Most people do drugs off campus and come back all messed up," said another student who also agreed with cracking down on dorm dealers. She added, "drug use will always be around." Brian Ready was upset since he couldn't finish a paper after being kept away from his room for a couple of hours because of the raid. He said that from what he heard, it was just like a normal drug raid. "I think they the UNLV and residence hall administration are exaggerating because it looks bad on campus housing," Ready said. "Who wants to have their kids in a dorm if they know drugs are easily available?" Campus housing recently fired Ready, a former resident assistant. "To save face, they say the police handled this wrong," Ready said, "Not to be mean to the people who got caught, but they needed to get caught. Hopefully it will teach them a lesson and maybe they will stop doing what they were doing." Aider, the student arrested in the raid, declined comment Friday afternoon when contacted in his dorm room. If testing determines the 18 packets seized by police contain opium, the criminal charges Alder may face require a mandatory two to eight year prison term ss well as a Most people do net realize that sexual minorities have special heaith-car- e needs. Pauia Wolfe, executive director for the gay and lesbian community . center, gave a talk addressing those needs in the Women's Resource Center on Tuesday. Wolfe said that the most common concern for gays and lesbians is finding a doctor who will be understanding toward their situation and knowledgeable of their unique medical concerns. "it's important to get access to a doctor you can be out to" said - Wolfe. Wolfe went on to say that it is important for a physician to know the sexual history of their patients. However, many, doctors assume that their patients are heterosexual some do not even want to have a homose-aia- l patient. Many gays and lesbians who have fell this type of discriiTunation from doctors have started going to doctors who irt gay and lesbian. - sap The Associated Students is looking for hard-workin- But finding a sympathetic doctor is not easy. Most physicians do not want to be known as homosexual or sympathetic toward homosexuals because it could hurt their practice. According to Wolfe, this igno- rance and intolerance stems from trainthe lack of ing required by the University of Utah School of Medicine. "Doctors only get two and half hours of training, and many get none at all," said Wolfe. Tliis has left the U College of Nursing to pick up the slack. trainAlthough curits is a of not major fart ing talk has been of there riculum, itfi Limited it beyond expanding scope. Another concern for homosexuals is the lack of information and dialogue about their medical concerns. Wolfe said that many doctors do not rscommend pap smear tests to their lesbian patients because the doctors believe that lesbians are sexual-orientati- sexual-orientati- on see WRC page of asrt $10,000 fine. "He told us it was opium, but we are still waiting on the tests," Drake said. They had been smoking the drug with two bongs taken in the raid, according to Drake. Danger comes if the drug was misrepresented. "You could kill youiself if you bought it thinking it was opium, but it's heroin," Drake said. If Alder possessed more than four grams of a schedule one substance (heroin, morphine, opium), he would face a mandatory two to 12 years in prison plus a $100,000 fine. The state could also pursue a civil action seeking an additional $350,000 judgement, according to the Nevada Revised Statutes. The criminal penalties would be double that of regular drug dealers since the crime was committed on a school campus. Probation cannot be granted for drug possession and trafficking crimes. Las Vegas does have a drug court program which suspends lengthy jail sentences in exchange for a guilty plea and completion of a long-terdrug rehabilitation program. tk of the University of Utah individuals to join g Executive and General Cabinet. Make an impact. Come pick up an applkstlon from the ASUU Office (234 union bui!ding)and bring it back on March 29th by spml Interviews begin March 30. Heresa jist of executive cabinet positions! Executive Assistants Madl Eolations Executive Chief f Staff Director of Campus Retatbrts Director &f th Communications Office Director of Diversity Diroctor of Ffnamce Director of Government Relations Diractor of Won Traditional Student Affairs Director of tha Presenter's Cffke Director of Student Affairs Director of Technology m U Wire 3 - 2000 Associated Students of the University of Utah 234 union building 581-ASU- U www.asuu.utah.edu A |