Posted on 10/11/2007 10:57:59 AM PDT by SmithL
NEW YORK, (AP) -- Columbia University has refused to turn over security videotape that could help identify who hung a noose on a black professor's office door, police said Thursday.
Investigators began asking on Wednesday for tapes from cameras in the building, but have been rebuffed by administrators, said Paul Browne, the New York Police Department's top spokesman.
He said police will have to get a court order to force the school to provide video they believe could crack the case.
"It's unfortunate because it adds a time-consuming step to the investigation," Browne said.
A Columbia spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment.
Authorities were testing the 4-foot-long twine noose for DNA evidence, but had no suspects as of Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, the professor who was the target of the attack, Madonna Constantine, told hundreds of faculty and students at a rally on the Ivy League campus that the incident was a "blatant act of racism" that "reeks of cowardice and fear."
"I'm upset that our community has been exposed to such an unbelievably vile incident," she said.
Police believe the noose was placed on the doorknob of Constantine's office at Teachers College — Columbia's graduate school of education — Tuesday morning, when a colleague spotted it and notified authorities.
Police declined to discuss possible motives or suspects.
Constantine, 44, told police there was "ill will" between her and another professor who had replaced her while she was on an extended leave, a police official said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
They can’t get any mileage out of this “hate crime” if it was a black student OR it was a professor!
As a public school, can you submit a freedom of information request?
I won’t bet against you.
2 Words... “Tawana Brawley”
And when they actually prove out that she hung the noose there herself, the argument will change to “ it was a political statement” to bring attention racist white people, so it doesn’t matter who put it there, racism is the larger issue that must be addressed.
Liberal Press will gladly accept this and drop the matter ~ ...move on
Not to mention, who knows what would happen in the crazy sue-happy country if they did turn it over without a warrant.
Adding to the possibility that she is the one doing it is the line:
Constantine, 44, told police there was "ill will" between her and another professor who had replaced her while she was on an extended leave, a police official said.
My intuition: She was on extended leave. The brought in a temporary replacement, but the temp was much better that she was. So she was getting pushed out the door. She invented the nooze as to be "untouchable" by the admin staff. They wouldn't be able to fire the women who had a nooze put on her door. Obviously she forgot about security tapes, and the school doesn't want to embarrass themselves further.
Does anybody think this wasn’t a put-up job done by the “victim”?
But aren't warrants needed when attempting to find or obtain a piece of evidence from a defendant/suspect, etc... not from the complaining/prosecuting party?
Why else refuse to turn it over?
I said the same as soon as I heard this.
Tawana Brawley did it!
You're good.
You can be sure if it was a repubilican that put it there, they could not get it to the police quick enough!
I sense some confusion causing a difference of opinion.
It is legal for Columbia University to require the police to get a search warrant before turning over CU property.
But since CU is not the criminal, but is the aggreived party, it makes no sense for them to force the police to GET a search warrant. CU had a legal right to hand over the tapes, and didn’t need a search warrant to protect themselves.
If I was shot, and the police asked for the bullet so they could investigate, why would I ask them to get a search warrant first? Sure, I could, but it makes no sense.
For me, this would be the the most analogous visceral reaction I could come up with to describe to a Lib why Columbia screwed up with the invite and it was wrong to me.
A Tawana Brawley with an advanced degree is my guess.
Beat me to it. Hopefully the cops force Columbia to give up the goods. ...and that the tape is in fact the real deal.
“Not to mention, who knows what would happen in the crazy sue-happy country if they did turn it over without a warrant.”
Right! When I read that they were not turning over the tape, I felt that they were doing it to force the police to get a warrant. At least as far as releasing the tape is concerned, this might protect them from any legal action brought by the party or parties involved. As far as other lawsuits, who knows.
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