The incident on 1026 W. Trinity Ave.

As a resident of 1026 W. Trinity Ave., I am writing to share both my relief over the dropped charges against my housemate, senior Eric Halperin, as well as my continued anger at the blatant abuse of power by the Durham Police Department. On the morning of Feb. 27, our home off East Campus was raided by a team of State Bureau of Investigation agents and members of DPD. Without warning, our front door was knocked down and a handful of fully armed officers entered our home. Subsequently, we were ordered to the ground at the behest of assault rifles, dragged across the floor, hand-cuffed and forced to strip naked. In carrying out their search warrant, police officers destroyed hundreds of dollars of our personal property. Upon failing to find anything incriminating, my friend, Halperin, was falsely charged with drug trafficking without any investigation or evidence, except his signing for a DHL package not addressed to him. After nearly a month, the bogus charges were dropped and Eric's character and integrity have been publicly restored.

I would like to commend the job done by Duke administrators. Although it may have required the Duke lacrosse scandal and another drug charge against an innocent student last year to open their eyes, we are grateful that they finally took a stand against DPD. In this instance, the administration fully supported Halperin and others in our house in the wake of his arrest. The school warily looked to the police to present evidence that an upstanding student with a clean record could be behind such a serious crime. With their support, the ordeal was made easier to deal with and, thankfully, the truth was revealed in a timely manner.

In contrast, the actions of the DPD continue to remain appalling. In my four years at this university, I have witnessed five of my peers and two of my close friends charged with felonies without proper investigation. I have seen first-hand the department's lack of any decorum. As Halperin, my housemates and I approach graduation, I hope in the coming years that improvements are made to protect Duke students off-campus better against both the violent criminals that plague our neighborhoods and the injustices of the inept Durham police that patrol our streets.

Matt Goldman

Trinity '08