To the Editor:
I just wanted to extend my congratulations to the brave officers of the Hanover Police Department and Safety and Security for their successful effort in capturing the two criminals from the Class of 2001 who decided to rush the field. It is good to know the Hanover law enforcement community was not hindered by two car accidents (including one involving a vehicle belonging to an uninvolved party) in their pursuit of the two miscreants; individuals who, if they had escaped, would have posed an extreme danger to society.
I am sure that I am not alone in commending the officers on their restraint within the stadium. While everyone at Dartmouth understands that rushing the field is a grave offense, this game was televised. If the officers had wrestled one of the students to the ground and handcuffed him face down on the track as they had last year, people watching on television, unaware of the severe nature of this crime, may have called the police tactics "brutality," "absurd," "unconstitutional," and "completely out of proportion in respect to the crime." They also might question the sense of the rule that makes the track open to all students when there is no football game, but states that running onto the field during a game is considered Criminal Trespassing, especially when said students pay more than $30,000 per year to gain access to such facilities. Luckily, those of us in the Dartmouth Community know that this rule is necessary to combat tradition and fun, two cancers eating away at the soul of Dartmouth.
I am thankful that the two field rushers weren't able to accomplish the goals that every one of these criminals is said to have: overturning wheelchairs, trampling small children and beating up members of the opposing team's band. I attribute this to the extremely visible police presence at the game, with officers from not only Hanover, but many surrounding towns as well. Without providing for this expensive presence, the game quite obviously would have turned into an all-out melee, with Dartmouth students committing acts of wanton violence and destruction.
Thank you again, Hanover Police and Safety and Security; I can now sleep at night knowing that these criminals have been caught.
