Letter to the Editor: Letter to the Editor
Sept. 7, 2007
Why does MU raise tuition, divert money from teaching and potentially assign those resources to traffic enforcement in Columbia? As an MU graduate, I am proud of my alma mater but confused as to why MU diverts resources from education to enforce traffic laws in Columbia. As a lawyer, this confusing policy provides a benefit to my bottom line, but surely, when education needs are so underfunded, this policy undermines MU's core mission.
In addition, the MU Police Department uses equipment that has wrongly determined students to be legally intoxicated when they were sober. Fortunately, earlier this summer, I was able to convince a jury that my client was not guilty of the driving while intoxicated allegations made by MU police. First, the evidence started with a police video of my client evaluated by an MU police officer to be intoxicated. The jury viewed the tape and heard from our expert about the numerous errors the officer made in performing and evaluating the performance of our client in conducting the field sobriety tests. Then, they applied their own common sense as our client talked with and performed the officer's tests on the video.
Second, the MUPD breathalyzer has a significant history of electrical problems and is repaired by an organization not approved by the manufacturer to make repairs. Further, a state inspector testified to this repair facility's abysmal quality control procedures, shocking the jury. The jury reached a verdict of not guilty and cleared my client. Unfortunately, the numerous others tested by this defective equipment were not so lucky.
Tuition increases and scarce education funding should be used for teaching and research, not supplementing city traffic enforcement. The Columbia Police Department serves the community adequately in this regard. The students and faculty should communicate this priority to MU administrators and the UM system Board of Curators.
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