Letters to the Editor

Student feels hall should be commended

To the Editor:
I fear that your article in Tuesday's issue of The Breeze may have given students the wrong impression of Ashby Hall. While there has been a handful of theft-related incidents, which I might add have ceased in recent months, our community is thriving and more active than ever. Ashby Hall is not only unique in that it houses many of JMU's international students, but it also houses one of the most active and close-knit communities on campus. I would like to commend the hall staff for dealing with the problems inside the community and taking the necessary steps to keep the issue from getting blown out of proportion, although the editors of The Breeze obviously do not share their perception.

Tom Culligan
freshman, international affairs

Attorney discusses student rights

To the Editor:
As some of you know, I am an attorney in Harrisonburg. I'd like to clarify some confusion about student rights in dealing with the police.

The first thing you should remember is that you are not required to give evidence against yourself. In that same light, you are not legally required to produce identification unless you are driving or flying. Often, your identification is used to establish an element of an alleged crime. You also are not required to submit to a breath or blood test unless you are driving and charged with DUI.

There is really no advantage to answering questions. The law enforcement officer is attempting to find evidence to change you with a crime. Does it make sense to help him? I suggest not. Remember the fish has to open his mouth to get caught.

There is one safe thing to say: "I want my lawyer. If I am not under arrest please let me go." Once you have requested a lawyer the officer should not continue questioning you. You don't need to have a lawyer to request one. The request itself should stop the questioning.

There is also no advantage to giving permission for a search of your person, vehicle or residence. The officer is only trying to find evidence to charge you with a crime. Don't help him.

Often the person giving permission does not realize that someone else has left an illegal substance behind. If you are there, you get charged. You will then have to pay a lawyer to help you try to prove that the contraband was not yours. You can avoid all of this by simply saying, "No. I don't consent to any searches."

You should always politely assert your rights to the police. If you fail to assert your rights, you may end up in a lot of trouble you do not deserve.

Robert F. Keefer
Hoover Penrod Davenport & Crist Attorneys