B.U. Student Editors Arraigned In Search for Police Records

Five members of Boston University's Daily Free Press were arraigned yesterday morning oncharges of trespassing after attempting to examine the B.U. police blotter earlier this week.

The Brighton County District Court scheduled the trial for November 13.

The Massachusetts Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives the public access to daily police logs, although certain information, such as names, can be withheld, Lawrence W. Hackett, editor of the Free Press and one of those arrested, said yesterday.

The statute does not indicate a difference between public and private police forces, Hackett said, adding that while the Free Press believes that the FOIA applies to both, "obviously, the university feels otherwise."

In a similar instance this week, the Boston College daily, The Heights, filed suit against the Boston College campus police in order to gain access to that college's police blotter and arrest reports. Kevin Duffy, vice president of student affairs, said that the college would go to court to defend the privacy of the records.

Bring a Book

"We have a fight on our hands," Elisa M. Speranza, news editor of The Heights, said yesterday, adding that the college misinterpreted many of the students' demands. "We never said we wanted names," she said.

Daniel A. Steiner '54, general counsel to the University, said that although there is no actual regulation permitting access to the University police logs, "We have a policy of getting information out to the community. I don't think we've had any problems," he added.