student to be questioned by police - Page 10

atomom · 11-09-2012, 01:32 PM

Mystery Solved!
Police called S back yesterday, but he didn't answer. S called me and asked me if I would call police back, so I did. Fortunately, I talked to the same officer who called me Monday. He said he usually can't tell why a kid was called in (for obvious reasons), but in this case, because I had already told him S is autistic, and because he knew it was a minor issue, I think he was sympathetic to what I said, and he just told me.

So, what was it??? Sort of embarrassing after this whole thread, all this anxiety!
Apparently S had put his key card through some other locks besides his own room--some in his dorm hallway, but more notably (and THIS is why they called him in) in the outside door of a lab building where he had no business on a weekend. (S didn't even know what was in that building). So after I talked to the officer, I called S, told him what the issue was, asked him to explain it to me, and told him to go explain it to the officer the next morning. (Officer told me S still needed to come in so he could hear his excuses and reassure the people at the lab that no one was trying to break in. . .he told me he didn't want to have to go find S at his dorm or classroom, as he knew that would be embarrassing for S, but if S didn't show up, he'd do that. It sounded like something he was required to check off his "to do list"--that he actually SAW S, and S had a reasonable explanation, and didn't seem to pose any risk to lab security. He wasn't exactly "officer friendly," but he was pretty nice, and apologized for the anxiety I went through.)

S went in this morning, talked to the officer for about 5 minutes and was told not to do it again--that he could be charged with trespassing. The officer told him that there are a lot of toxic chemicals in that building, so it is a high security place. S said the officer was "nice."

So, why did S try to enter that building? His sister was visiting. S showed her a few places around campus, and she asked if there were any buildings he hadn't been in--and S said, "just THAT one." (It is an "architecturally interesting" building). So they went up to the door, S swiped his card a few times, but the door didn't unlock, so they left.
Regarding the dorm rooms, S said he just habitually ran his card through the one door he usually passes as he walks to his room, and one time, when he came from another direction, he put his card through all the locks in that hallway --"because it makes a cool beeping sound, and I wanted to hear the sound." (Didn't know whether to laugh or cry when S told me this--he sounded like a 5-year-old!)
He had no idea these "attempts to enter" were being recorded.
Anyway, fyi, if any of your kids use key cards, tell them it's NOT a good idea to randomly put them through other locks--even if just to hear the "cool beeping noise!" Big Brother sees all.

Youdon'tsay · 11-09-2012, 01:40 PM

Phew. Glad you got a nice-enough officer who would talk to you and doubly glad that it was nothing. I'm not surprised that they keep track of that stuff. I believe it helped solve a crime on a campus a year or two ago. I can't remember the school, but it was in a lab. Anyone else know what I'm talking about?

QuantMech · 11-09-2012, 01:41 PM

So glad to hear that it all worked out. Yes, part of the point of the key cards is to record access and access attempts--though it's sort of weird, because if the key card works, it's because you were supposed to have access. I suppose that some sort of system-hacking could be detected from the recording, though, if the list of those granted access were compared with the list of those authorized for access.

lookingforward · 11-09-2012, 01:41 PM

Thank you for coming back to share this. Glad this was simple.
I will keep in mind the advice to consult an atty, should my kids ever be in some jam.
I do, however, suggest some check how constituitonal rights apply on college campuses. Lots written about the nature of the relationship between the kid and the school. Just check it.

CottageSpirit · 11-09-2012, 01:43 PM

Wow - glad to hear it was relatively minor and that it seems to be cleared up. Seems like the officer could have avoided a lot of anxiety if he had just talked to him and you about all of this from the very beginning. I'm confused as to how your son could be charged with trespassing if he tries to get into the building's door again. If it doesn't open, he can't get in, and if he's just outside of a building on campus, how is that an actual crime??? Weird, but I'm guessing they want to really deter him from trying it again. Also would have been nice if someone from the campus had talked to him (and you if necessary) about this before the police got involved. Sounds like an awful lot of unnecessary hoopla and worry for both you and your son.

Hopefully he's all good now though!

atomom · 11-09-2012, 01:53 PM

Yeah, I wondered about the trespassing. I mean, if you are a student there, and just stick your card in a lock (and your hand isn't even touching the lock)--is that an attempt to break in--knowing that your card won't open something you're not authorized to open anyway?
S certainly won't try his card again in ANY door but his own.
What is sort of funny is that D told me that they COULD have easily entered the building when another women in front of them opened the door--if they had rushed to catch the door. They were only about 1/2 step too far behind her. I guess they really would have been trespassing then.

mathmom · 11-09-2012, 02:17 PM

I for one am happy the thread appeared, just so that we can warn our kids about the police. My son is far more cautious about them than I am. (He gets harassed frequently when ever he's out in mixed race groups at night.) Of course now he's in a foreign country and the worries are much worse.

Atomom, so relieved to find out there was a relatively innocuous explanation. Who would have thought to warn kids about such a thing.

Youdon'tsay, I think the mystery pf the murdered grad student at Yale was solved in part because there were a limited number of people with access to the lab where she was working.

Sticker · 11-09-2012, 02:18 PM

I'm glad it worked out. I've actually been thinking about your son the last couple of days hoping everything was ok. It's funny how attached one can get to total strangers. Thanks for following up with us and I hope the rest of his semester is uneventful in a good way.

GladGradDad · 11-09-2012, 02:25 PM

Thanks - I've been waiting to hear the rest of the story. I really do think many on this thread got spun up and over-reacted but I also understand why they said what they did.

The context of this being your kid with the way you described him, being on a college campus, not having a policeman going to his dorm room and hence the request for him to go to the office, all made me think this was probably nothing that needed lawyering up immediately but rather, just asking what it's about.

Everything the officer said makes sense. Many college campuses have secure areas - especially some lab areas with toxic substances as well as other secure areas such as datacenters, labs with dangerous and expensive equipment, etc.

I guess now your S knows that card access readers log not just valid accesses but denied accesses as well and the good thing is his campus police are on the ball enough to pay attention to this which is a good thing.

I'm glad it all ended okay.

FlyMeToTheMoon · 11-09-2012, 02:31 PM

Thanks for reporting back. I'm so glad it was minor. I found my self being very concerned for you and your son. What a relief to hear that it is over!

compmom · 11-09-2012, 02:54 PM

Glad to hear of the happy ending. But I don't think, in this case, that the thread was an overreaction. The system does bad things to good people all the time. The mention of autism was smart: they would be more afraid of legal trouble that way.

Marsian · 11-09-2012, 03:09 PM

A lot of parents with autistic children can probably relate to this. Many of our children like to hear repetitive sounds, make repetitive motions, try out each option, etc. I never thought I'd need to put this on my list of things to warn my son about, but now I will.

suzy100 · 11-09-2012, 03:17 PM

Glad to hear of the happy ending. But I don't think, in this case, that the thread was an overreaction.

I agree. In fact, I think it demonstrates why so many of us were concerned. The OP's son was actually the target, albeit the issue was minor. He was not a witness as the OP originally suspected. It was a very good discussion and reminder IMO as to what to do when approached by the police in this manner.

cnp55 · 11-09-2012, 03:30 PM

Re Post #137

It was a murder in the labs at Yale.

But they also used some key card data during the Duke lacrosse rape-that-did-not-happen case.

calla1 · 11-09-2012, 05:18 PM

Thanks for the update. I was worried for you. I too have a son on the spectrum, and wanting to hear the "cool beeping sound" makes perfect sense to me. I also can imagine my son doing an analysis of whether his card opens other doors, and the effects of small modifications on which doors can be opened. All in the name of scientific inquiry, of course, as he would never steal. : )

Just goes to show, we can't think of everything in advance as we attempt to prepare them for the world! I for one am glad the thread happened, as I never would have thought about these police issues. Thank you to those who posted the links.