opinion

Chief: Officer did job in Daniels traffic stop

Traditional and social media have been buzzing recently over a routine traffic stop by one of my officers, Lt. Lesley Wiete, who is a well-trained and well-respected officer among police agencies and community partners.

As chief of the Purdue University Police Department, I feel I need to speak out against what I feel is unnecessarily harsh judgment and to share some basic information with our community.

First, only 13 percent or one of every eight traffic stops made by Purdue police officers during 2014 resulted in an issued ticket for a moving violation. Lt. Wiete’s stop of President Mitch Daniels on Oct. 20 was not unlike most others — a typical stop, no special treatment.

While there may be those who disagree with the reasons for ticketing or not ticketing, the fact is that our goal always is to ensure the safety and well-being of our campus community, and our police officers must use their discretion in determining when a warning or ticket is called for. Our actions are not meant to collect revenue, but to correct or address an action.

In 2014, Purdue University police officers made 2,163 traffic stops. Of those, 1,325 were issued written or verbal warnings, and 283 were ticketed for moving violations. The vast majority of stops, especially for first-time violations, resulted in only a warning.

Purdue police officers — and officers all over the United States — must use their discretion, based on their training and expertise, whether making decisions on traffic infractions, on which roadways to patrol or which neighborhoods need a police presence. Police officers must take the totality of the circumstances into account before making decisions, just as many of you do in your jobs and lives daily — exercising your best judgment based on your own skills and experience.

The Purdue University Police Department is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. This accreditation, held by less than 1 percent of the world’s law enforcement agencies, means the community we serve can rest assured that our policies, strategies and training adhere to best practices, are transparent and are in line with modern policing models.

Lt. Wiete conducted herself appropriately, professionally and safely based on her experience, observations and training. We expect that same conduct of every one of our officers in every instance, and I think our community has that same expectation.

In this age of social media when videos of police and other high-profile individuals go viral, there have been documented instances in which police officers have acted outside their training, department policies and general orders in ways that have hurt citizens. Citizens should absolutely be concerned about those cases and voice their opinion.

I offer this request, however: If community members have particular issues with process or procedure in the police department that serves them, please join that department in working together to solve the issues. By focusing on issues and behaviors, rather than individuals, much can be accomplished together. Let’s not sit behind a computer screen and judge each other based on assumptions and misinformation.

Cox is chief of the Purdue University Police Department.