DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | University of Iowa anti-war protests, 1970 | 1970-08-27 Daily Iowan Article: ""City Officials, Editors Discuss Police Arms""

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University of Iowa anti-war protests, 1970

1970-08-27 Daily Iowan Article: ""City Officials, Editors Discuss Police Arms""

DI
8/27/70

City Officials, Editors
Discuss Police Arms

"Misimpressions" conveyed by the local newspapers over the recent acquisitions of new weapons by the Iowa City Police Department were the topic of discussion at a luncheon meeting Wednesday afternoon. At the meeting were two members of the Iowa City Chamber of Commerce's Committee on Social Concerns, City Manager Frank Smiley, Iowa City Police Chief Patrick J. McCarney, Daily Iowan Editor Leona Durham and Press-Citizen Managing Editor William Eginton.
The Social Concerns Committee, intended as a step toward establishing trust between businessmen, students and administrators, has thus far excluded the press from its meetings. Its members have discussed the weapons issue at three recent meetings, the last one held Tuesday afternoon.
According to committee chairman F.J. Newman, concern was expressed at Tuesday's meeting by Smiley and Chamber of ommerce President Ben Summerwill over recent newspaper reports on the new police weapons.
Newman said the focal point of the discussion at the meeting was the "misimpression" that the new weapons were acquired to cope with student disorders at the University of Iowa this fall. The weapons in question include sawed-off shotguns and tear gas grenades.
Smiley pointed out that McCarney, on the contrary, was being moderate in his acquisition of new weapons and said that he was, in fact, "doing much lesss than he is being urged to do." He noted as an example that the police had purchased no bullet-proof vests and no high-powiered rifles.
Smiley and McCarney emphasized that the weapons purchases made earlier this summer were only to replace old equipment and to upgrade the capabilities of the department in areas in which they had fallen behind.
McCarney said the purchases — four shotguns, three walkie-talkies and two dozen tear gas grenades — were made from government grant funds originally allotted for the purchase of films dealing with drug abuse.
He said the  department purchased four such films but, as the deadline for using the funds approached, he realized there was not time to order and view more films so he requested and received permission to purchase the equipment in order to avoid turning the unused funds back.
The purchases, Smiley said, in terms of the impression left by them were particularly poorly timed. "It left a completely different impression than we would like to leave," he said.
The poor timing, he said, was a consequence of the news of the weapons purchases following on the heels of testimony given by police officials on Aug. 6 at the hearing to determine the status of a temporary injunction. The injunction was issued on behalf of the the city of Iowa City on May 6 to curb obstruction, disruption, destruction of property and incitement to disorder relating to the demonstrations that brought the university to a near standstill i early May.
At that hearing McCarney testified that oral reports from informants of the Iowa Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) had led him to believe that, as a result of activities on the part of dissidents, "the University of Iowa will be closed after the second week after it opens" in the fall.
Robert Engel, a committee member and administrative assistant to university Pres. Willard Boyd, said that as a result of that testimony and of the reports of the purchases, the university had received a number of calls from parents concerned about the safety of their children on the campus this fall and that dormitory counselors were being questioned by concerned students.
At Wednesday's meeting, McCarney said he did not believe the university would be shut down. He said one paid informant and one unpaid informant are working on the campus and that he thinks it will be an "entirely different ballgame in the fall than in the spring" and that the campus would not be a particularly troublesome area.

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DI 8/27/70 City Officials, Editors Discuss Police Arms "Misimpressions" conveyed by the local newspapers over the recent acquisitions of new weapons by the Iowa City Police Department were the topic of discussion at a luncheon meeting Wednesday afternoon. At the meeting were two members of the Iowa City Chamber of Commerce's Committee on Social Concerns, City Manager Frank Smiley, Iowa City Police Chief Patrick J. McCarney, Daily Iowan Editor Leona Durham and Press-Citizen Managing Editor William Eginton. The Social Concerns Committee, intended as a step toward establishing trust between businessmen, students and administrators, has thus far excluded the press from its meetings. Its members have discussed the weapons issue at three recent meetings, the last one held Tuesday afternoon. According to committee chairman F.J. Newman, concern was expressed at Tuesday's meeting by Smiley and Chamber of ommerce President Ben Summerwill over recent newspaper reports on the new police weapons. Newman said the focal point of the discussion at the meeting was the "misimpression" that the new weapons were acquired to cope with student disorders at the University of Iowa this fall. The weapons in question include sawed-off shotguns and tear gas grenades. Smiley pointed out that McCarney, on the contrary, was being moderate in his acquisition of new weapons and said that he was, in fact, "doing much lesss than he is being urged to do." He noted as an example that the police had purchased no bullet-proof vests and no high-powiered rifles. Smiley and McCarney emphasized that the weapons purchases made earlier this summer were only to replace old equipment and to upgrade the capabilities of the department in areas in which they had fallen behind. McCarney said the purchases — four shotguns, three walkie-talkies and two dozen tear gas grenades — were made from government grant funds originally allotted for the purchase of films dealing with drug abuse. He said the department purchased four such films but, as the deadline for using the funds approached, he realized there was not time to order and view more films so he requested and received permission to purchase the equipment in order to avoid turning the unused funds back. The purchases, Smiley said, in terms of the impression left by them were particularly poorly timed. "It left a completely different impression than we would like to leave," he said. The poor timing, he said, was a consequence of the news of the weapons purchases following on the heels of testimony given by police officials on Aug. 6 at the hearing to determine the status of a temporary injunction. The injunction was issued on behalf of the the city of Iowa City on May 6 to curb obstruction, disruption, destruction of property and incitement to disorder relating to the demonstrations that brought the university to a near standstill i early May. At that hearing McCarney testified that oral reports from informants of the Iowa Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) had led him to believe that, as a result of activities on the part of dissidents, "the University of Iowa will be closed after the second week after it opens" in the fall. Robert Engel, a committee member and administrative assistant to university Pres. Willard Boyd, said that as a result of that testimony and of the reports of the purchases, the university had received a number of calls from parents concerned about the safety of their children on the campus this fall and that dormitory counselors were being questioned by concerned students. At Wednesday's meeting, McCarney said he did not believe the university would be shut down. He said one paid informant and one unpaid informant are working on the campus and that he thinks it will be an "entirely different ballgame in the fall than in the spring" and that the campus would not be a particularly troublesome area.