Police Chief Defends Dept.

Harvard Police Chief Paul E. Johnson answered critics of his department's treatment of Black students during an often contentious debate last night at the Kennedy School of Government.

Last month, Inati Ntshanga '95, who is Black, charged that he was improperly detained and arrested by Harvard police because of his race. Ntshanga's allegations have touched off a campus controversy over whether the procedures of University officers violate rights of Black students.

In his introductory remarks, Johnson said the problem between students and police is largely one of misunderstanding.

"A lot of things people feel they see is perception," Johnson said, glancing pointedly at Ntshanga's attorney Harvey A. Silverglate, a panelist and critic of the department.

In response, Silverglate charged that police treatment of students has gotten worse during Johnson's decade-long tenure as chief.

"The situation has gotten notice-ably bad in the last 15 years," Silver glate said. "[University police] are much more police than they are Harvard.

Black Students Association President Alvin L. Bragg '95, who also was a panelist, criticized University police for failing to follow their stated procedures. He called for the appointment of an ombudsperson to help mediate disputes between police and students.

The debate was preceded by a showing of a University-produced videotape, "Not Just Black and White." In the tape, Johnson says he makes four demands of his officers: that they treat people courteously, be brief as possible when questioning suspects, apologize when they make a mistake and give their name and indentification number during each incident.

But Bragg said Johnson's words have not translated into reality.

"I hesitate to believe that police adhere toPolice Chief Johnson's four criteria," he said.

Bragg said that in his run-ins with police,officers have only followed the second ofJohnson's criteria, brevity.

And both he and Silverglate charged thatstudents do not feel comfortable filing complaintswith Harvard. Specifically, they pointed to whatthey charged was a biased, in-house investigationof the Ntshanga case by University Attorney AllanA. Ryan Jr., who was also a panelist.

Ryan's inquiry found that the police, whoarrested Ntshanga as he worked in the Matthewsbasement for Harvard Student Agencies, had donenothing wrong.

Ryan defended his probe and the policedepartment's actions.

"The police department... is expected to be twothings," he said. "We expect them to protect usfrom crime [and] at the same time they are membersof the University community themselves so I askthat they show sensitivity to us."

But Silverglate attacked the administration forits handling of the police department. The lawyer,however, notably excluded Dean of Students ArchieC. Epps III, who has publicly supported Ntshangain the controversy, from his criticism.

During a question-and-answer session, JajaJackson '95, who is Black, asked Johnson to raisethe standard of evidence required for suspects tobe detained. Jackson and Bragg, who were stoppedtogether by University officers during theirfirst-year at Harvard, said police should notdetain students solely on the basis of anonymoustips. But Johnson disagreed, officers must beallowed to exercise discretion.

Roughly 40 people attended the event, includingPolice Sgt. Kathleen Stanford, whom Ntshangaaccused of racial harassment in his arrest.Stanford had denied that charge.

In an interview afterward, Epps, a frequentcritic of the police department, said, "We[should] come out in the end with a formalstatement about the rules that should be followedand err on the side student welfare over moreefficient policing.

"I hesitate to believe that police adhere toPolice Chief Johnson's four criteria," he said.

Bragg said that in his run-ins with police,officers have only followed the second ofJohnson's criteria, brevity.

And both he and Silverglate charged thatstudents do not feel comfortable filing complaintswith Harvard. Specifically, they pointed to whatthey charged was a biased, in-house investigationof the Ntshanga case by University Attorney AllanA. Ryan Jr., who was also a panelist.

Ryan's inquiry found that the police, whoarrested Ntshanga as he worked in the Matthewsbasement for Harvard Student Agencies, had donenothing wrong.

Ryan defended his probe and the policedepartment's actions.

"The police department... is expected to be twothings," he said. "We expect them to protect usfrom crime [and] at the same time they are membersof the University community themselves so I askthat they show sensitivity to us."

But Silverglate attacked the administration forits handling of the police department. The lawyer,however, notably excluded Dean of Students ArchieC. Epps III, who has publicly supported Ntshangain the controversy, from his criticism.

During a question-and-answer session, JajaJackson '95, who is Black, asked Johnson to raisethe standard of evidence required for suspects tobe detained. Jackson and Bragg, who were stoppedtogether by University officers during theirfirst-year at Harvard, said police should notdetain students solely on the basis of anonymoustips. But Johnson disagreed, officers must beallowed to exercise discretion.

Roughly 40 people attended the event, includingPolice Sgt. Kathleen Stanford, whom Ntshangaaccused of racial harassment in his arrest.Stanford had denied that charge.

In an interview afterward, Epps, a frequentcritic of the police department, said, "We[should] come out in the end with a formalstatement about the rules that should be followedand err on the side student welfare over moreefficient policing.