Officers should put student safety first

In a Sept. 10 letter to the editor published on September 10, Mark Hecker complained about an incident in which a police officer forced a group of inebriated students to walk home from off campus because the car they were in was "overcrowded."   

Although there is no doubt that the students involved acted irresponsibly, that does not change the fact that the police officer displayed a shocking disregard for their safety and well-being.   

A hazing incident on April 14, 2003, in which a group of drunken students was told to walk home from off campus, resulted in Sigma Nu fraternity being placed on probation. Has the police officer responsible for this recent offense been subjected to similar disciplinary action?   

Granted, the students Hecker is referring to were closer to campus and, as Tierney Ahrold reiterated in a letter on Sept.11, they "all returned to their rooms" safely. However, their safe return was not guaranteed by the police officer, who was, in fact, responsible for putting them in a potentially dangerous situation. Why couldn't he have driven some of them home in his patrol car so that the car they had been in would not be "overcrowded?" Why is a police officer, whose duty should be to protect and help the members of the community, allowed to jeopardize the safety of a group of students, while Sigma Nu is being punished for the same reason?