Students, E.L. police engage in laser tag battle

Police set down their uniforms Wednesday in favor of jeans, T-shirts and light-up vests when the Community Relations Coalition challenged them to a laser tag duel as part of an effort to combat negative stereotypes about police.

The coalition’s interns were encouraged to bring two friends which gave event at Zap Zone, 902 Elmwood Road, in Lansing, to give MSU students a chance to interact with police in a nonthreatening atmosphere outside of East Lansing.

International relations junior Alex Walker, a neighbor of a coalition member, battled officers throughout the tri-level maze at Zap Zone.

“I thought it was a cool idea and it was a good idea to encourage togetherness,” Walker said.

“You wouldn’t really get to meet and interact with the cops unless you’re in trouble, so this is a really good way to get to interact with them in a different way.”

Jessica Biagi, a political theory and constitutional democracy senior and member the coalition, said the interns created the laser tag event to show students that police are more than uniformed officers who hand out tickets to unlawful students.

“We work a lot with Tom Wibert, the chief of police, and we have such a good perception of police,” Biagi said.

“We wanted to share that with community members.”

This is not the first time the coalition and East Lansing police have teamed up to put on an event. The two groups have held joint community forums, coalition interns have participated as coaches in the Police Athletic League and police attended the coalition’s block party during the MSU football game against Ohio State last fall.

“The more events we have where people get to know us outside our jobs, the better they understand us,” East Lansing police Capt. Tom Johnstone said.

“It kind of opens up the lines of communication because most often when people meet or talk to us, it’s in our law enforcement role.”

Several East Lansing police officers and office staff members represented the department Wednesday. Johnstone said he hopes the event will make it easier for students to communicate with police on the street.

“If somebody knows me from an event like laser tag, it’s a lot easier for them to approach me than if the only contact they’ve had is in the street in uniform,” he said.

Biagi said the goal was for the interns’ guests to form positive opinions of the police and pass them on to students.

“We hope the two people we bring will tell people and kind of branch out that the police are not out to get students,” Biagi said.

Published on Wednesday, March 26, 2008