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Aug 26, 2008 11:17 pm US/Eastern
Harvard Police Target Of Racism Probe
CAMBRIDGE (WBZ) ―
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Students outside Widner Library, Harvard University.
AP
Classes are just weeks away at Harvard University, but the image of campus police is now being examined by a new six-member panel convened by Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust.
The committee, led by former Suffolk County District Attorney Ralph Martin, will investigate complaints that officers have unfairly stopped black students, professors and other members of the Harvard community.
"Police are supposed to be here to protect us and make sure we're safe. I might be targeted for a reason that has nothing to do with the person I am," sophomore Anselm Beach told WBZ.
In an e-mail to Harvard administrators, President Faust writes, "All of us share an interest in sustaining constructive relations between our campus police and the broader Harvard community, in order to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all faculty, students, staff and visitors."
She noted that earlier this month, officers confronted a person using tools to remove a lock from a bicycle.
It turns out the bike belonged to a black high school student from Boston who was working on campus for the summer. He was trying to cut the lock because the key had broken inside it.
On a campus that spans many cultural and ethnic backgrounds, students say no one should be singled out.
The committee will review the police department's diversity training, community outreach and recruitment efforts.
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