Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / Feb. 23, 2011, edition 1 / Page 2
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Sexual Misconduct Amongst Raleigh Police Personal Response to the Egyptian Protests Alison Ridick, Staff Writer On Tuesday February 8, WRAL reporter Amanda Lamb cited that several police officers from the Southeast Raleigh Police Department were under investigation due to allegations of sexually harassing a prostitute. Investigators from internal affairs, after hearing the rumors, placed GPS tracking devices and hidden cameras on and around the officers. They discov ered that several officers had had sex with a prostitute known for working on Bragg Street in downtown Raleigh. Several of these guilty officers who chose to remain anonymous were asked to hand in their badges and guns. One of the police officers under investigation, Stephen Hinnant, was reported to have resigned on Monday, February 7th. Only Harry Dolan, Chief of Raleigh Police, commented on the issue, telling WRAL that “the public can be confident that all the issues identified as result of the officer-initiated complaint were thor oughly investigated and that they will be addressed and resolved.” Citizens in the surrounding area stated that they weren’t surprised by this behavior from the police department due to having previously seen cops drive away with prostitutes then seeing those same prostitutes back on the streets hours later. WRAL also reported that many more accounts of sexual misconduct by police officers have been showing up in and around Raleigh. Larry B. Lovick, previous ly a State Highway Patrol trooper for Wake County, was indicted on Tuesday, Febru ary 8 for one count of felonious restraint. STAFF hcrald(2inicredith.cdu heraldadvertising^ eniail.tiicrcdith.edu Editor Amy Hruby Staff Writers Sarah Sugg I.yn Triplett Rebecca Brodney Mengjie Zhang Aislinn Murphy Emily Haukins .Anne Caitlin Griffin Emily Gamiel layout Editor Emily llawkin.s Website Editor •Joy Close Literature Advisor Rebecca Duncan Copy Editors: Allison Mcarcs Robyn Kennedy Katrina Kcnipncy Caitlin Griffin The McreiKth Hemld is published by tlic College ihroiishout tlic acjclemie year. The pajitr is fiindi’d by the Cnlkge and thrtHigh independent adiertising. .Ul adwrtisemenLs should be sent to heraldadu’rtisinKC" em,iil, tnereditli.celiL The opinions expressed in the editorial tsilumns do not neee,s- snrily rcliect those of the College udniinislration, faeiilly. or student IkkIv. The polity of this (siper ret|uires tliat submis-sioas Ix' made by 5 p.m. the Thursday before pirbliea- tion and that contributors sign all submissions and prmide iiiees- saiy eontael information. The edi tor and staff weleorae submissions meeting the aUuv guidelines. Mission Statement: The staff of The Meredith Herald is committed to repre senting our diverse community by publiciz ing local events, by ad dressing controversy, by cultivating civic engagement and by empowering women. Brittany Anicetti, Contributing Writer In June of 2010, an anonymous source noti fied the State Bureau of Investigation Direc tor Robin Pendergraft of “sexual misconduct while on duty.” Through the investigation, they learned of one woman who was report edly arrested for underage drinking claiming she had been sexually harassed by Lovick. She states that he “convinced her to remove her top, handcuffed her, exposed himself and later drove her around in his patrol car.” Lovick still pleads not guilty but, after working as a state trooper since 2004, re signed one day before the investigation was to begin. The commander of Highway Patrol, Col. Michael Gilchrist, states that Lovick’s in dictment by the State Bureau of Investigation “solidifies his belief’ that the charges were warranted. Although many of us might follow a police officer’s request unquestioningly, there are several things we can do to keep ourselves safe. 1. If you are having doubts as to your safety while being pulled over, call 911 to make sure they are actually the police. 2. If a cop is pulling you over, never pull over in a dark spot. 3. If you feel uncomfortable while talking to a “cop,” ask to go somewhere safer, or more public. These suggestions may help with identify ing a true cop from “a wolf in sheep’s cloth ing,” but remember: always be aware of what is going on around you. If something doesn’t feel right, talk to the officer. He or she should be understanding and willing to help you feel more comfortable when dealing with your personal safety from cops. I’ublishcd ki Hinton Fress image via huffingtonpost.com On January 25, 2011 Egyptian protesters began their battle to end. the rule of President Hosni Mubarak. Since then, Egypt has been a constant story in U.S. news. Our televisions have been bombarded with images of Egypt’s streets being overtaken by crowds of protestors. As a nation that’s seen the protests of the 60s, we understand the act of protestors. We understand why they refuse to budge to a government they want changed. As a citizen of a country where government will make decisions if its people don’t take on their roll, I support the goals and efforts of those in Egypt. I envy their commitment to their country. With hundreds of thousands flocking to Egypt’s central Tahrir Square, day after day, they carry signs and atti tudes reflecting their concerns for their country. They are demanding change. The willingness of Egypt’s youth to put their lives in danger to be part of this political movement causes me to ques tion today’s youth in the United States. Is our generation failing to meet the strides of our parents in terms of politi cal participation? Are we just watching from the sidelines with few opinions? Would we put our careers and our safety on the line in order to better our country or are we just letting our parents “kick the can down the road” so that we can pick up the pieces later? While there are those in my generation doing their part there just simply aren’t enough. Before now I would have put myself in the ‘not enough’ category. Seeing this group of young Egyptians calling for such dramatic change has reorganized my priorities. Every able person should have an understanding of its political concerns from nation to state to city. While this is my commitment to hav ing a new awareness for governmental concerns and decisions in the United States it is also a persuasion to move those still stuck in ‘not enough’ to ‘we need to do more’. Thefe are so many ways to get involved in the decisions of this country but gettiiig involved isn’t al ways enough. There must be intellectual involvement. We can’t make decisions based on anyone but ourselves and our own investigations. We need to come to our own conclusions in terms of policy making and what issues we deem most important. When it comes to voting we can’t just listen to the voices of our par ents. Understand the concerns of each candidate and match them with con cerns of your own. Not only do we need to vote we need to vote with absolute clarity of all issues. Do you have concerns about issues in your state? Do you know the issues in your state? These are the issues directly affecting you. Get to know your state policies concerning education, health, spending. If yoii want your voice heard make it heard. Write your governor, write your mayor. Write your congress men and women. They are there to hear your concerns and they will listen if you make it important enough. An ocean away, we are hearing the concerns of those protesting in Egypt because they have made it that important. The fight those in Egypt, particularly the younger generation involved in the protests, have for taken has given me a whole new per spective on the roles I want to be part of in my country’s policy making. In 30-40 years my generation will have to make the decisions. Why wait until then to get involved?
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