This letter is in reference to the “bottle bomb” incident at Frederiksen Court. When I read about the incident last week, I thought I was reading a script out of “Reno 911,” except that it was only the ISU Police breaking away from fighting crime on the mean streets of Campustown to play with their new pellet gun.

So gather around, everybody, and watch the tactical sharpshooting squad defuse a fuseless “bomb” in their cool riot gear and chemical suits.

Watch them detonate this grass-killing, toilet-bowl-cleaning “bomb” with only two shots from a distance of seven feet. Then follow police on a long investigation through the apartment doors and up the stairs to Ames’ own Unabomber.

What really happened was that a student made a “works bomb.” This is merely a combination of different household products that builds up pressure, causing the bottle to pop and create a loud bang.

The worst that could happen would be getting a little cleaner in your eyes or staining your clothes. But police must justify the use of the pellet gun and riot equipment by turning a works bomb, which most junior high school boys have made at one time, into a full bomb investigation.

Instead of just popping the bottle, throwing it away and telling the student not to do it again, the ISU Police must make themselves look big and turn this into a big deal.

Now some college student who was fooling around one night may go to jail, get kicked out of school, face large fines or have trouble finding a job for the rest of his life because he looks like a terrorist. Great community relations ISU Police!

This is the type of attitude that caused the Veishea riot.

Instead of talking to the student who that made the “bomb” and explaining that bombs are possibly dangerous and illegal, the police must flex their authoritative muscles and really stick it to this guy.

Or instead of letting Veishea partiers have fun and stumble home when they have had enough, the police must flex their muscles, put on some riot gear and start kicking some student ass.

ISU police, please find something constructive to do with your time instead of creating situations and messing with students’ lives.

Nick Roberts

Senior

Animal Ecology