Saturday night around 1 a.m., a friend and I were screaming through campus on our bikes on the way to downtown. After passing two parked DPS vehicles on University Street, I made the left onto East 13th Avenue to find two other idle DPS vehicles parked next to each other talking (or whatever it is that they do).
Immediately, I was stopped by one of these second set of vehicles and was then instantly surrounded by all four DPS SUVs and a total of eight “officers.” The one who stopped me from the front informed me that I didn’t have a rear bike light (which had previously fallen off on the ride due to poor mounting and installer incompetence).
I got off my bike to check the empty space where the missing bike light had been and was immediately treated with hostility. Apparently, this officer believed that I was reaching for a weapon or trying to escape (or who knows what) and raised his voice to get me to comply and get back on the bike. I was compliant and did what I was told and explained that I had left the house with a bike light, so their allegations of me riding without one was as astounding to me as my action of getting off my bike to check my light was to them. After asking if this conversation was being recorded and inquiring into officer’s name and bond number, his tone completely changed — as if they believed that no one would ever ask these “officers” about information regarding their officiality and accountability for their actions on and around campus.
After slightly more harassment, I was allowed to leave with a warning and not an official citation.
Bottom line is that campus seems to have too many idle “officers” itching to use their weapons: An eight-on-one for a missing rear bike light is costing taxpayers money to keep these cowboys employed, and people are being harassed by less than friendly “public servants” of “public safety.” Someone needs to scare one of these uniforms so they know how it feels.
Nick Sloss
Eugene resident
Letter: Bored DPS officers harassing residents
Daily Emerald
October 12, 2011
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