Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Nov. 8, 2001, edition 1 / Page 7
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Nov. 8, 2001 News Page 7 Police clear up confusion about traffic stops Hill shares an experience of activism Jessica Vitak Copy Editor Sean Carroll Reporter Ask any Elon student, and they’ll likely be able to tell a tale about a friend who’s been stopped by area law enforcement officers for a vio lation of some sort. These stories can often assume a sort of urban legend status. Elon Police Chief Dan Ingle and his first sergeant, J.F. Villanova sat down recently to talk about traffic stops. One of the most popular urban myths about police procedure in traf fic stops is that a police officer can pull a motorist over for any reason at all. These rumors often spread after an individual has the unfortu nate experience of being pulled over for what seems like no reason. When asked how many motorists are estimated to be pulled over on a typical Thursday, Friday or Saturday night, Villanova answered, “a lot, re ally.” “A police officer can pull a mo torist over for any motor vehicle vio lation,” Villanova said. These viola tions can range from driving on the wrong side of the road to having a bumed-out license plate light bulb. The technical term for what some one can be pulled over for is “articuable suspicion.” This is where a police officer that pulled a motor ist over must be able to appear in court and verbally explain what dic tated that the motorist should be pulled over. Villanova tried to sim plify the idea of articuable suspicion as “a little more than a hunch.” Many motorists, especially stu dents, believe that police officers in tentionally look for the small motor vehicle violations in order to have a reason to pull a motorist over. How- ever^ the hard facts demand that there must be a legitimate reason to pull over a driver. “If you want to get creative, then there’s an entire chapter on motor vehicle violations,” Villanova said as he thumbed through a large blue po lice manual. Inside the manual were a number of violations for which a police officer can halt a vehicle and question the driver. There is slightly more needed in order to search an individual how ever. According to Villanova, an of ficer needs to have “probable cause” to search an individual during a traf fic stop. Probable cause was then broken down to “having the elements of a crime,” such as seeing marijuana cigarettes in the driver’s ash tray or smelling alcohol on the driver’s breath. The police cannot search an individual without a reason. An of ficer can, however, ask an individual to step out of his car for any reason at all. When a motorist, or even a pas senger, is asked to step out of the car, the police have a right to detain the person. The police can detain an in dividual for a limited amount of time without arresting the individual. Ac cording to Villanova, detaining an individual is for “the protection of the police and the individual.” When an individual is detained, he is not placed under arrest. There fore, it is not necessary for the of ficer to read the individual his Miranda rights. There is a lot of con fusion regarding when an officer is required to read a detainee his rights. Many people assume that they need their Miranda rights read to them as soon as they are handcuffed. Accord ing to Villanova, this is untrue. “As long as you’re not in custody, you do not need to have your Miranda rights read to you,” Villanova said. In fact, Elon Police officials report that until an indi vidual is charged with a crime and is faced with the chance of incriminat ing him or herself, that individual does not have to be mirandized. Some Elon students have a prob lem understanding just why many traffic stops are made. “All I know is that it seems like a lot of students are pulled for abso lutely no reason, and fiirthermore, it doesn’t seem like the cops ever ex plain what’s going on when you get pulled,” Elon junior Chris Emerick said. This seems to be the attitude many students have about the police of the Town of Elon. Ingle and Villanova say they hope this infor mation will allay some of the confu sion surrounding this topic. Environmentalist and activist JuUa Butterfly Hill spoke to a capac ity crowd in Whitley auditorium Nov. 1 in an event sponsored by the Lib eral Arts Forum. Full of energy and enthusiasm, Hill shared her experi- ences surrounding the amazing jour ney leading up to her two-year stay in a Califomia redwood. In a discussion to raise environ mental awareness among students and have them assume responsibil ity as global citizens. Hill stressed that she was not there to lecture, only to share her experiences and offer a new perspective. “I want you to leave feeling as if you have experience something,” she said. Offering nothing more than her story, Hill captivated the audience of students, faculty, staff and commu nity members for more than two hours. While her discussion covered many topics, the message remained the same throughout - “the answers are within ourselves, not outside of ourselves,” she said. Hill’s story began when she was a college student, a business major. After graduation, she worked as an independent consultant for restau rants and bars. Quickly rising m the field with a reputation for success, her career dreams were crushed when a 1996 car accident injured her so badly that it took a full year to re cover. It was during this time in her life that Hill made a realization that changed her life forever. Tune in this week to ESTV... Touchdown Phoenix Football Monday-Friday 11 p.m. Win Stuff Monday-Saturday 2 p.m. Phoenix Report Monday-Friday 8:30 p.m. “Our GNP goes up every time we hurt the planet,” she said. “It is no longer money going to save life, but instead life is going to save money.” Between the discovery of corrup tion within political and corporate powers and her fnst rainforest expe rience in the redwood forests of Cali fornia, Hill became an environmen tal activist and never looked back. The forest she saw was more alive than anything she had seen before. Hill felt a deep connection to the plants, which she tried to convey to the audience. “We’ve all been con ditioned that the environment and na ture are out there,” she said. “But we all have roots...and they are all deeply connected to the earth.” Hill quickly became involved in local environmental protection groups. Her eamest desire to make a difference led her to the deed that has ultimately made her a household name across the world. On Dec. 7, 1997, Hill climbed 180 feet in the air and began a two-year vigil that only ended when an agreement was reached protecting “Luna,” her tree, and a three-acre area of forest around it. Hill says the experience taught her a lot about herself and the world. “When people can get fear out the way, they can do anything,” she said. Although the company clearing that area of forest tried starving her out, blowing her out with gale-force winds from a helicopter and waiting her out. Hill persevered. After living for 738 days straight in Luna, Hill climbed down knowing she had made a difference. She had saved her tree, and she had brought environ- Emily Hudson/Photo Editor On Thursday, Hill visted campus to tell her story of inner strenght and living in Luna. mentalism to the attention of people around the world. Hill says the experience taught her so much about herself and the world. “For two years and eight days, I went without everything I had always taken for granted,” she said. “I real ized how blessed we are on this planet.” Hill says the most important les son she leamed was love. Watching the forest being cut down all around her was like “watching my loved ones being murdered.” She encour aged everyone to take a more active role in protecting the environment. “The power is right here in our minds, our hearts and our souls.. ..to change anything,” Hill said. “I want us all to lead a life of example.” An Invitation to Speak with President Lambert Students are invited to join Dr. Lambert in the Hearth Lounge in Moseley Center on Wednesday, Nov. 14 from 4-5 p.m. for refreshments and conversation. Please come with questions, ideas or concerns you would like to discuss with the president.
Elon University Student Newspaper
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Nov. 8, 2001, edition 1
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