EDITORIAL: Actions of one ruins view of the whole
Former Central Michigan University Police Officer Jeffrey Card was arraigned Sept. 21, charged with misconduct in office by the Isabella County Prosecutor’s Office.
Card is accused of driving two 21-year-old women from O’Kelly’s Sports Bar & Grill, 2000 S. Mission St., to a dirt road on Sept. 11. He agreed to drive both home after attending to a nuisance party call. The women agreed and took the ride.
When arriving on the road, police allege Card said he was going to give the women a portable breath test. He said if the test results were higher than a certain limit, the women would have to expose their bare chests. The girls agreed and showed their chests after the test results were higher than the limit Card specified.
He also had the women pose for a photograph on the back of his patrol car, which was later found stored on his cell phone by investigators.
Card, who now faces up to five years in prison along with $10,000 in fines, resigned from the CMU Police Department and the university on Sept. 16.
This story is not only disgusting in itself, but it unfairly does significant damage to the strong reputation of the CMU Police.
As college students, we understand the reality of what role police officers play in the lives of young adults. Whether it is a MIP offense or a simple traffic violation, most students have had some sort of interaction with the law.
Their experiences and those of their friends mold their perception of the police.
While students may not be happy with being ticketed for any number of violations, most understand police officers are there to benefit the whole, and make sure safety is the first priority.
How can we feel comfortable in a town where an officer was found to have abused his power to such a degree when dealing with young students?
We look to police officers as those who enforce the law and protect us. But situations like this color our view and ultimately make us question the true moral character of these public servants.
The actions of one seem to affect the impression the public has on the whole department, and that not only makes the department look terrible, but it shows them in a false light and demolishes the trust built with the community.
People will ask themselves, “How can I feel protected living here?” And they are not out of line to question it.
Rather than allow this incident to create disrespect toward officers, students and community members should remember protecting oneself is imperative, but the majority of these officers hold themselves to a high moral standard.
CMU Police's continued cooperation with the investigation and Card's quick suspension shows the department is still concerned about the safety of students, even when that requires protecting us from someone who once wore their badge.
