Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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M A . A Editorial i> *_i i piup VriVlKIIHJI Or Condone It When Carolina fans take their seats in Williams-Brice Stadium Saturday to watch the Gamecocks play the fin fanmers, u s a sure oei mat many win nave a container of their favorite liquor. Despite the presence of various law enforcement agencies, hundreds of people smuggle liquor into football Pnmlmn IvMAtttM 4U.-?Z? B . vaiuiuia iwiuaii laiia auuuiu uc Miuwii 1UI U1C11 ingenuity as well as their loyalty. The methods of smuggling liquor into the stadium can be as simple as putting a bottle in a purse or as clever as putting minibottles in a hollow cane. Most of the time the fans outwit the officers. ACCORDING TO chief Joseph W. Dorton of the state Alcoholic Beverage and Control Commission, people will continue to smuggle booze into football games. "There's no way to check 56,000 people," Dorton said. "We operate on the premise that if we see something questionable or smell it ? like coming from a cup ? then we will investigate." The threat of being arrested and fined is not enough to prevent determined fans from a night of football and debauchery. They know the chance of getting caught is slim and they're right. At the Mississippi game, Dorton's men made about 10 arrests; at the Duke game they caught about six offenders. Small catches in a sea of liquor-drinking fans. ARE THESE arrests meant to set examples for others? How could they be when the violaters are brought to a magistrate on duty in the stadium, fined $25 to a $100 and allowed to return to their seats. The punishment is too lenient. The fans should be allowed to bring alcohol in the stadium and drink it in peace, or the law enforcement agencies are going to have to start taking their job more seriously. Consider the present situation; Dorton's men aren't making enough arrests, the number of violaters they do catch wouldn't make a drop in the stadium-bottle. They won't stop people from bringing liquor into the stadium, so why bother? It's a waste of manpower. Perhaps, even beer could be sold in the stadium in an effort to make people switch from liquor to beer. Thic CAPmQ lilro a crrwvl irlofi iinlocc fV-*r> onfh/\Miiin? <> /* . ? uuviwu ?nv u gwu luvu U1UV/OJ Ult QUU1U1 IllCS at c going to crackdown on the situation. Fans should be content to do their partying before the game but they're not. IF THE law enforcement agencies want to stop the boozing, they need more plain clothes officers on duty at the games. Officers should be making more arrests instead of watching the games. The authorities need a more efficient means of checking the fans before they enter the stadiumt an nffirpr rplvinff nn hie ??nco nf cmoll icn'i I , ?o V" Mv",k,v V1 U,11V" IU" v going to rise far in his career. i Arresting a few people each game is not going to prevent anything. Liquor-smuggling fans may consider it annoying, but not enough to change their habits. GAMECOCK University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C. ( founded 1908 j Newsroom: 777-7181 Advertising: 777-4249 Business Office: 777-3888 Production: 777-2833 Miii PUtte Editor fM Hjncoci Copy Desk Chief H'lms Sports fdMor DavtH f nrvoHo * ,!?r?L-" - - - [onor i"" "mini Aul. Sports Editor Tom Coyne Ant. New* Editor Miielkher Graphics Editor Don Weatherbee Editorial Page (ditof ; Brewer General Manager MJke Romatowsld Entertainment Editor linda Haines Advertising Manager John Vaughan Awl Int. Editor MaA Mclwan Production Manager Markithrtdgejr Advfeer 'Mn , . lutirvesa Manager Sole reproduction right* granted to the Associated Press. Alt other material contained herein may not be reproduced without the permission of the editor. Opinions e up rested in the Gamecock are thote, if signed, of the writer and, M unsigned, of the editor. The Gamecock welcomes letters and columns. Al letters and columns must be typewritten, triple-spaced on a 65 space Ine. Letters should be no longer than 300 words, and columns should be limited to one H newsworthy subject no longer than four typed pages. Letters and columns must be tinned with the writer's correct umt. telephone number m.llnr I* fending of (acuity po?Mon and major. r**udo<rymt arc unacceptable, but the writer'* MITM m?y be withheld on tetter, upon request, M the circumstances warrant H. We reserve the right to edit column* and letters for space and style, and we reserve the rfght to reject any column (or any roavon. IAcMttm tetters md coturrww to: IdHoHal Page Idflo/, Gamecock, Drawer A, USC, CotomMt, S.C. 29260. ji Understci TO THE EDITOR The purpose of a law enforcement officer is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives i and property, to protect the i innocent against deception, \ the weak against oppression c or intimidation, and the t peaceful against violence or \ J? 1 i a. " * uiauiuci; auu iu respect ine i constitutional rights of all v men to liberty, equality and s justice. I I have been a resident of ? Columbia, South Carolina > for 25 years. And in that 25 i years I have been stopped by uie Columbia Folice five times. Once for changing lanes improperly, once for failing to come to a complete stop at an intersection, once for riding a bicycle with improper lighting, once for driving too fast for conditions. and once for being in a building after normal closing hours. In each of the times I was stopped, with the exception of the last time, I felt I was treated properly. I answerd the officers' questions, and did what they asked me to do. But things were a bit different on the last arrest. ON SATURDAY July 25, 1981,1 crossed the University of South Carolina campus and stopped momentarily at a building directly across the street from my office at WNOK, where I serve as a Weekend Anchor, to use the men's room. I was in the men's room using it, preparing to return to WNOK, when three uoiumoia ronce umcers walked into the men's room, night sticks in hand, hands on guns, looking at me, in my state of undress, telling me AV Am MHHi mmmm ^ Letter To! id,Cops A that. I was to leave immediately. As we crossed Gervais street I looked up and loticed that the patrol car vas parked directly in front >f WNOK. Tom Anderson, he operations manager at fviNuiv naa canea me ponce. was aghast. Anderson vas standing in front of the itation as the officers >rought me out. He was just is amazed as I when he saw vho the officers had arrested. When I ran into the huilHino fn nco Jim ????'?. M vi?av??a*^ W IklV till/ 111 U11 9 room it was roughly 10 minutes before the building was closed to the public. A maid who saw me enter the building thought that I was a rapist, or burglar, or even worse, she thought that I was a murderer. When the police officers realized that I was a reporter for WNOK and after Tom Anderson identified me, they immediately released me and apologized fnr arroatino mo All tKo MA * VUVllI^ IIIVi i All U1V/ time I was in the building they were afraid that I was armed and at the moment of mv arrest thev considered mc to be dangerous. That is why they wanted me to get out of the building and why they didn't want me to stall by talking. it took me four weeks to get over my initial hurt and anger. I wrote letters, talked to my congressman, called the police station, and stewed in my humiliation. The night of the arrest I ?> a a iouna myseii laugning because it all seemed so absurd, yet it was all so serious. I thought if I had ran or resisted the police officers I may have been killed. mmmmmmmmmmmmtmuammmmBammmmmmmmmmmm arts he Editor m Wk- vi rust vo ii The Columbia community is upset over the death of a Columbian who ran from the police and was shot in the back. You wrote an editorial about the shooting in today's paper (page 2, Sept. 18 issue) which prompted me to write this response and to relate my incident of this summer. What I would make very clear is that no one likes to get arrested. Wealth, race, nationality, or sex excluded ... no one likes to have another human being arrested, chained, and taken somewhere against their will. I THINK where the problem begins is how each person reacts to their arrest. Some talk, as 1 did, others curse the arresting officers, as I did not, and some become violent, others try to escape by fleeing. The lesson I learned from my arrest this summer is to remain calm. Never resist. And don't talk to the arresting officers, save to answer their questions. Let the police do their duty. There is always a logical reason why you have been arrested. Police don't stop and arrest innocent victims for no reason.As in my case ? t-_At . Uic icaauii was DOin iOglCal and understandable. I needed only to be patient. The Columbia Police Department has an intomai - w> tiui affairs office which investigates unethical practices on the part of any police officer. Police have a tremendous task protecting and serving the public. 1 think thcv aro olon ul ? '"J u> V mow COJNIUlt of eliminating those officers who refuse to live up to the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. Sufi* heir Duty You asked if a recent police action will cut out the cancer that appears to be rotting the credibility of the M Columbia Police Deoart- ^ - - - - - ? 'I ment. I think the only action that will keep the Columbia Police Department free of the so called "cancer" is the constant concern of the Columbia community. Not only when a Columbian is killed by police, but everyday as the difficulty or i mining a punce uepanmeni ^ becomes more complex and " where misunderstandings between the police and the public are bound to occur. The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics states,4'I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, animosities, or friendships to influence my ^ decisions. With no com- % promise for crime and with relentless prosecution of criminals, I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or fnvnr m nlino r?r> <11 *?r?11 I V/& ill Willy never employing unnecessary force or violence or violence and never accepting gratuities." I BELIEVE that some nfrinnw 41 ?--- ^ vui ivuo ui tilt? VAJlUlllUltt Police Department may deviate from this code of ethics, however, I also believe that there are many good police officers who will live and die for these principles. I hope this helps you to understand Law Enforcement better. CHARLES METZEII Weekend Anchor WNOK i Former Law Enforcement Corresnondent fnr thf Columbia Record.