Pubdate: Wed, 01 Oct 2014
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2014 Globe Newspaper Company
Contact: http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/opeds/letter.aspx?id=6340
Website: http://bostonglobe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52

FOLLOWING HEROIN DEATH, UMASS AMHERST RIGHT TO SUSPEND POLICY OF INFORMANTS

The tragic heroin overdose death of a student at UMass Amherst raised 
grave doubts about the risks of a policy that allowed campus police 
to recruit students as confidential informants. University 
administrators are right to suspend the program while a comprehensive 
review is completed.

A Globe investigation revealed that UMass Amherst police officers 
caught the student, identified only as Logan, selling drugs on campus 
and recruited him to work as an undercover informant instead of 
suspending him from school.

They did not pursue any criminal charges, nor did they notify the 
student's parents of his drug offenses.

But Logan was also a heroin addict.

Almost a year later, after Logan helped campus police identify and 
arrest drug dealers, he died of an overdose. The police claim they 
did not know Logan was also a drug user. But, inadvertently or not, 
they pushed him into becoming an undercover informant while 
essentially allowing the former hockey star to continue his heroin 
addiction - and left his family in the dark. Logan's death very well 
may have been preventable.

Many law enforcement officials are specially trained in the 
challenging business of handling confidential informants, who can 
sometimes uncover valuable information in criminal investigations. 
Campus police officers are less likely to receive special training, 
however. In Logan's case, notifying his parents would have 
compromised the value of having him as an informant in the first 
place. His health and well-being got lost in the process.

Campus police are in an awkward position: Their role is to enforce 
the law, but they also report to universities committed to protecting 
students' welfare.

This same dual mission has led to complaints about an unfair 
two-tiered justice system in universities and colleges already under 
siege over their handling of sexual assaults.

While students like Logan are adults, and legally entitled to certain 
rights, they should not be used as confidential informants in 
criminal investigations on campus.

When Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy ordered the program's suspension 
Tuesday, he indicated that it might be ended completely. His 
announcement, which marked a stronger stand than the administration's 
initial position, recognizes the essential role of the university. By 
ending the program, UMass Amherst can truly create an environment 
where "every student can learn, thrive, and mature."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom