State Police Invade Dorms

State Police Invade Dorms

"One more picture and you'll drop your camera," said William L. Burns of W.A.N.T. (Washtenaw Area Narcotics Team).

The place was 15th District Court on the sixth Door of City Hall and the event was a hearing for three U-M students charged with delivery of LSD, hash and marijuana.

The charges were brought by undercover narcs who infiltrated U-M dorms to promote paranoia and distrust in the university community. The SUN attended the hearing to try to photograph the narcs.

But the narcs didn't have to take the stand as the prosecution backed down and let the three students plead guilty to reduced charges of possession. So the narcs hid in a back room and ducked the two SUN photographers.

But out in a hallway the SUN photographers later found William L. Burns, who appears to be a W.A.N.T. co-ordinator more than an undercover agent, and also a young long-haired state undercover narc known as Sandy Burns or just as Dave (who apparently was not connected with the dorm busts).

The three U-M students are John Foster of South Quad, Richard Wood of West Quad, and Lanson Carrothers of Bursley. All three students were reportedly busted for small amounts.

The well co-ordinated busts of these people were the first invasion of the dorms by the police in almost three years.

"We knew nothing about the raids until they happened." said Col. Frederick Davids, head of U-M security. But Davids, former chief of the Michigan State Police, proved lo be lying when Police Chief Walter Krasny admitted, "We had a number of people working closely" with Davids right before the raids.

"I think they're trying to scare people," theorized one student.