TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2005
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 5A
Ruling expands police use of drug dog searches
WASHINGTON
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that police can have dogs check motorists' vehicles for drugs even if officers have no particular reason to suspect illegal activity.
The 6-2 opinion, written by Justice John Paul Stevens, stipulates police dogs may sniff only the outside of a car after a motorist is lawfully stopped for a traffic violation, such as speeding or failing to stop at a stop sign.
But privacy rights advocates said the ruling would lead to far more traffic stops as a way to find drugs. They also warned that the decision could open the door to more expansive searches, from sniffs inside the vehicle to checks of parked cars and pedestrians on the street.
Before yesterday's ruling, the Supreme Court had authorized drug dogs primarily to sniff luggage at airports.
"The use of dogs is intimidating," said Harvey Grossman, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in Chicago. "Thousands of motorists have called complaining about suddenly finding their cars surrounded by policemen and drug
dogs. Now no one is safe from this major intrusion into our lives."
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who argued the case, called the ruling a victory for law enforcement in the war on drugs.
The case involves Roy Caballes, who was stopped by Illinois police in 1998 for driving 6 mph over the speed limit. Although Caballes lawfully produced his driver's license, troopers brought over a drug dog after noticing air freshener in the car and noting Caballes appeared nervous.
The dog indicated drugs were in the trunk, and police searched it even though Caballes refused to give permission. They found $250,000 worth of marijuana, and Caballes was convicted of drug trafficking.
The verdict was thrown out by the Illinois Supreme Court, which ruled the search was improper because police had no particular reason to suspect Caballes had drugs.
In his opinion, Stevens reversed the state court ruling, saying the intrusion was too minimal to invoke constitutional protection.
"A dog sniff conducted during a concededly lawful traffic stop that reveals no information
other than the location of a substance that no individual has any right to possess does not violate the Fourth Amendment." Stevens wrote.
In a dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg bemoaned what she called the broadening of police search powers, saying the use of drug dogs would make routine traffic stops longer and more adversarial. She was joined in her dissent by Justice David H. Souter.
The court has long held that traffic stops should be brief since police often use them as a pretext to question motorists about other suspected illegal activity. Critics argue that authorities now will have wide power to check a car without consent, even if a police dog proved to be wrong about the presence of drugs.
"Under today's decision, every traffic stop could become an occasion to call in the dogs, to the distress and embarrassment of the law-abiding population." Ginsburg wrote, citing the danger that police could soon conduct "suspicionless, dog-accompanied drug sweeps" of parked cars or cars stopped at red lights.
The state of Illinois' appeal was supported by 28 states and several law enforcement groups.
NEW NAME: Old name confusing to students
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
The change has not hurt enrollment, Morris said. In fact, he said he hoped it would aid undergraduate recruitment.
Some students said they thought the name change would be beneficial.
Many students don't consider HDFL a serious major because they don't understand what it teaches, said Kelly K忍giestin, San Antonio junior
and HDFL minor.
"ABS, I think, makes it up there with other majors that aren't blowoff majors." Keniestein said.
She said she would continue with the HDFL program because she didn't have enough time to complete the additional three hours added to the major.
"It's a more defining, more accurate name for the major," Simpson, Tulsa, Okla., senior, said of ABS.
Students who joined the HDFL program before the Fall 2004 semester have a choice to graduate with an HDFL major or to switch to ABS. Students who joined the department last semester or after, however, must graduate with an ABS major.
- Edited by Ross Fitch
Google technology to index broadcast television content
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO — Google Inc. is using its popular Internet search technology to find information and images broadcast on television, continuing a recent effort to extend its reach beyond the Web.
The Mountain View-based company planned to introduce the new video service today; it will be operated separately from the search engine offered on Google's home page.
The feature pinpoints content previously aired on a variety of television networks by scanning through the closed caption text that many programmers offer.
Google's service, which began storing information last month, includes programming from ABC, PBS, Fox News and C-SPAN.
people's lives," said Jonathan Rosenberg, Google's vice president of product management. "Ultimately, we would like to have all TV programming indexed."
"We think TV is a big part of
Search engine analyst Charlene Li of Forrester Research said Google's latest innovation was likely to disappoint many people because it doesn't provide a direct link to watch the previously broadcast programming.
Google instead is displaying up to five still video images from the indexed television programs, as well as snippets from the show's narrative.
The search results also will provide a breakdown on when the program aired and when an episode is scheduled to be repeated.
Local programming information will be available for those who provide a ZIP code.
Rival search engine Yahoo Inc. also has been tinkering with a product that finds video available for Webcasts.
Hoping to counter Google's initiative, Yahoo planned to step up the promotion of its video search tools today.
If the Google and Yahoo services attract a following, more television programmers may be compelled to provide better online access to their content. Li said. "Video search is going to be a very long-term play."
The TV product represents Google's latest attempt to get a better handle on the reams of information that isn't stored on Web pages.
The company recently set out to scan millions of books from several major libraries into its search engine and is offering a program that finds material stored on computer hard drives.
PARTY: Enforced ordinance may end loud parties
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
citations rather than just responding to complaints, said Sgt. Dan Ward of the Lawrence Police Department.
The new way of reporting noise disturbances will help officers handle the situation in a more timely manner, Ward said. It allows the 10 to 12 officers responsible for the entire city to respond to other, more serious crimes, he said.
This weekend the police department issued three noise citations and received 24 calls of noise disturbances. The citations were issued because the police officer was called back to the scene of the disturbance, Ward said.
"Before, we never used to issue citations, so this is definitely an increase." Ward said.
The police department receives eight to 10 noise disturbance calls every Thursday, Friday and Saturday on average, Ward said.
Ward said he hoped heavier enforcement of the noise ordinance would lead to a decrease in the number of calls.
Ricky McClure, Dallas sophomore, said that he had hosted parties where police responded. He said he tried to work with his neighbors to avoid a call to the police department.
It's when McClure's neighbors don't come to him first that bothers him.
"If my neighbors don't inform me, what the hell do I do?" he said.
Despite the new procedure for reporting noise disturbances, the police probably
won't target students specifically, McClure said. The police are just doing their job, he said.
Holroyd said he hoped the new style of enforcement would deter late-night parties and the litter that usually follows.
"I don't care if there's a party, they just need to stop earlier," Holroyd said.
Once the the party on Louisiana Street broke up, Holroyd called a friend, who owned the house where the party was.
He said he didn't expect as many noisy parties next door.
"It's not the first time I've called him," he said. "But it will be the last."
Edited by Laura Francoviglia