Harassment by police; overstimulation

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The residence assistant was with them and was prepared to let them in if I didn't open the door. I'm pretty sure that this is entirely legal, it was just alarming.



I would have no problem with this if they had been more professional. The officer even went so far as to laugh at me when I told him that I have AS for the nth time.

I realize that this sounds like an idealized version from my perspective, but it's actually what transpired.



It is public knowledge, and I told them several times while they were crowding me. I don't know how common it is for someone to curl into a ball and weep when being questioned, but it should definitely be a signal to back off a little, especially if he or she claims to have a psychological reason. I even gave them the business card of my psychologist, Dr. Pelham.




To be honest, I don't really care if what they did was legal or not, as I wouldn't do anything to hurt the university without an extremely good reason to do so. I'm just unhappy that they put me through that.

Talk of a law suit seems over the top, but the fact that they induced a melt down and then laughed at you is enough to have the university Office of Disabilities involved. Especially if the dorm supervisor is making things worse instead of better.

I noticed you didn't mention if the school is even aware of your AS. Most universities have offices dedicated to assisting students with special needs.

Unfortunately, if you are living in school provided housing, the regulations can vary - when I went to college, they had to the right to search any room at any time with cause. It was part of the housing contract. While they may possibly have good reason to search, the manner in which they treated you was uncalled for. If the housing director knows of your AS and allowed that treatment and said those words herself - she is in clear violation of antidiscrimination law.

It all boils down to - do they know about your AS? This definitely needs to be brought to the school disability advocate or, if one isn't available or willing to listen, others here have made some good suggestions on national organizations who would be willing to step up for you. Your Dr. can advocate for you and provide references for additional help. If the school does NOT know about your AS it is time to get that remedied immediately!

(...and bring up the stairwell hypothosis - if you truly aren't smoking pot in your room, the stairwell is a classic sneak spot for potheads in dorms.)

Thank you for these additional details.

While I applaud your desire to avoid litigation, your account indicates that the officer in question behaved in an extremely inappropriate and unprofessional manner. A complaint against him would be very much in order. It sounds as if your residence assistant could also have handled the situation much better than she did. I would join those who are urging that you contact the student disabilities office, at least to see if they can help with filing a complaint against the cop. Based on what you say took place, one should be filed, and it will probably be taken more seriously if it's filed by the university, rather than by a lone student.

So its still a bit like Dukes of Hazzard?!

When I went to student housing this morning, they were more concerned with my wellbeing than persecuting me. I explained the situation to them as best I could, and a few of the people present had counseling experience. They are filing a complaint against the offending officer, which is difficult as he didn't put his name on the police report Fortunately, there were eight people present including myself, so there's no lack of witnesses.

I'm pretty happy with how the situation is being handled.

Good. I hope the book gets thrown at him/them.
I thought this was horribly heavy-handed and over the top. It's nothing that couldn't have been investigated through a one-on-one chat with an administrator, surely.

Good. At least it is not being ignored.

I'm sorry you had that awful experience. I grew up around police officers and firefighters so I've always had a knack for not allowing them to intimidate me and getting them to calm down and back off a bit. Unfortunately, I don't think I could tell you anything that might've helped you in the situation you were in. You need to be able to prepare for something like that and busting in during the night when you're sleeping is just impossible to prepare for their confrontation.

I'm very happy to read that the matter is being handled to your satisfaction. I hope it is resolved to your satisfaction, too!