STORRS -- Several students have filed complaints against University of Connecticut police after they said officers used excessive force - Mace and a police dog - to subdue a crowd earlier this month during a party at the African American Cultural Center.
On Tuesday, Police Chief Robert Hudd confirmed that they have received the complaints - as well as compliments - about the way they responded to a fight during the Oct. 4 party in the basement of the student union.
Police said they arrested three students on rioting and breach of peace charges.
The incident has put campus police behavior in the spotlight. Last week, the student group Brother to Brother organized a forum that attracted about 250 students to discuss the use of excessive force.
During the meeting, frustrated students talked about excessive police force, often aimed at students of color. James Davenport, 21, a senior from Waterbury, said Tuesday that the police response to the party wasn't typical, but that there are times when the use of force is definitely excessive.
Police declined an invitation to attend the forum, explaining that they could not discuss the case because charges against the students were pending in court. But Hudd said Tuesday he has met with a small group of students to discuss the incident and was open to having a follow-up meeting. He said the department is looking into the complaints.
Police and students differ somewhat on what happened at the party. Some students said words were exchanged between two students and a fight was about to break out, but was stopped before police arrived.
"Out of the blue, police came and just starting Macing us when [they] got into the building," said Torah Jones, 19, a sophomore from New Haven. "A lot of my friends were unable to breathe. A lot of them have asthma and the Mace spreads pretty quickly."
He said police told students to evacuate, but they could not get out the one open door because a UConn officer with his police dog stood near the door. "The dog was just terrifying. It was so close to biting people," Jones said.
"They were swearing at us. It was a bad night. It really wasn't called for," Jones said. "The situation with the fight had already stopped. Everything was resolved."
Police, however, gave a different account, saying they were responding to a call for help. Police spokesman Ronald Blicher said there was fighting at the party and police were trying to respond to an unsafe situation.
Blicher said police did not use pepper spray inside the building, only outside, though some may have wafted in through the door.
Hudd said police were trying to make an arrest before a somewhat hostile crowd.
Police charged both Nnamdi I. Ifejika, 21, of New Haven, and Leo E. Jones, 20, of Willimantic, with second-degree rioting, interfering with an officer and second-degree breach of peace. Police charged Kenneth Marques Mullings, 21, of Hamden, with interfering with an officer and second-degree breach of peace.
Blicher said the arrests were not race-related and that the department won't stand for that kind of behavior by its personnel.
"We don't tolerate criminal behavior. We don't tolerate racism. We don't tolerate bias of any sort," Blicher said.
"I don't want to minimize the issue, but I don't want to maximize it either," he said. "We treat it individually. It's a necessary use of force in a situation such as this."
"Our police force is very diverse. I don't think there is any intention. I think by and large they do a very good job," Hudd said.
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