Parking police problems

A visibly agitated man approached the Oakland University Police dispatch window on Sept. 12, 2018 asking to meet with the person who runs the department.

He claimed he had been harassed by OUPD and wanted to speak with OU Chief of Police Mark Gordon, who was unavailable at the time. When the dispatch officer returned to give the student a citizen’s complaint form, he immediately refused to fill it out and said he was going to speak to the president of the university.

The dispatch officer asked what his concerns were regarding the alleged harassment. He said he was walking on campus a few days prior and was stopped by two officers because of the way he walked.

When the dispatch officer inquired further, the student clarified they were there to check on his welfare. The officer explained OUPD is obligated to follow up on calls for welfare concerns, to which the student replied he was unhappy they took his ID and ran his information. The officer explained this is also OUPD policy, and if he voluntarily gave them his ID, there was no problem. The student was still unsatisfied with this explanation, and asked for the officer’s name and role within the department, which the officer provided.

When the dispatch officer asked if he had any further concerns, the student showed him a parking ticket and handicap placard. The ticket was for a handicap parking violation, and the student claimed his placard was fully visible. The dispatch officer told the student they would need to verify the placard was his before taking action on the citation.

The student was not satisfied with this answer either and said he was leaving to go speak to the president of the university about the officer, his harassment and unfair treatment. The officer reported that at no time was the student aggressive or demeaning, he was just unsatisfied with the explanations he was given.

While the student was walking out the door, he said something to the effect of “you shouldn’t have done this to me, you’re going to regret it.” When the officer asked what he said, the student said he was not making a threat against the department, followed by, “But I’d be careful if I were you” and laughter.

At this point the dispatch officer became concerned for the welfare of the student and anyone he may come into contact with on campus, and so decided it would be better if the student were escorted off campus due to his behavior.